Thir13en Ghosts
by Charles Xavier
Summary: For the fate of Kairi and the other princesses, thirteen of our most beloved characters from Kingdom Hearts are forced to fight to the death against thirteen of the most atrocious horror movie icons ever to exist. Who will live, who will die?
1. An Unexpected Visitor

**_The 13 Ghosts: A Report By Ansem_**

…

_1st Ghost: Freddy Krueger_

_Biography__: Also known as Fred Krueger, a child murderer who was thought to have been burned to death. It is said now that he often appears in the minds of young children, and kills them in their dreams. Victims have been known to have literally died in their sleep under unknown circumstances. Those who have claimed seeing him have described him as wearing a striped red/green sweater, having burned wrinkled skin and most alarmingly, bearing sharp claws as fingernails on his right hand._

_2nd Ghost: Jason Voorhees_

_Biography__: It is a mystery of why nobody was able to save Jason when he drowned in a lake. Nevertheless he survived and lived a reclusive life in the forest, killing those who trespassed in his property. Wearing a hockey mask to cover his deformed face and wielding a long machete, Jason has proved most unstoppable for those who have challenged him. People have fired multiple bullets in every part of his body, and Jason is said to be still walking. People have stabbed him, electrocuted him, and even tried to drown him. And every attempt has only failed._

_3rd Ghost: Michael Myers_

_Biography__: Michael is said to have murdered his own sister when he was only six years old. And even when given intensive mental therapy, the boy never uttered a single word…even to this day, he remains silent. Nobody knew why he did it, and nobody even knows why he exists. Some claim that he may be indeed the Devil incarnate. Though as he grew, Michael became more violent and began killing people mainly on Halloween night, wearing a white ghostly mask and occasionally holding a butcher knife. It is interesting to learn in my research that one person had once described Michael and I quote: "He is not human…he is evil."_

_4th Ghost: Pinhead_

_Biography__: Perhaps the most feared out of the 13 Ghosts, and possibly the most powerful. There have been very few who have seen this ghost and lived to tell the tale…for many have had unfortunate fates with him. He is said to have come from a world where pain is treated as an eternal pleasure. Some sources believe that he may be immortal, but that has not been fully confirmed. For me, Pinhead has been the most fascinating ghost that I have studied. Despite his grotesque appearance that his name so suggests, it is said that none have been able to overpower him. Survivors from Pinhead had to merely escape him in order to survive…_

_5th Ghost: Chucky_

_Biography__: A living doll that is said to be possessed by the spirit of a psychopathic murderer. Adults especially have fallen into his innocent yet deceitful appearance, and many have found it hard to believe. It is true that he may be small, but his speed and wits are major compensations for him. Chucky still seeks a living child that would be willing to trade bodies with him…and his search still continues._

_6th Ghost: Jaws_

_Biography__: A sea creature that is thought to be far superior to a Great White Shark, and far more dangerous. Confident fishermen hunting it have all apparently been eaten, and no man has ever been able to kill it, or even claim it. Those venturing out into the sea have always been warned about this ghost. Jaws is often known to be seen during night time, stalking its prey until its right moment comes. However, there have been few occasions when it had attacked during day. So it can be concluded that Jaws is not nocturnal._

_7th Ghost: The Creeper_

_Biography__: A winged demon that feeds on fear, and devours chosen organs from its victims he eats; whether it is their lungs, their eyes, or even their heart. It takes no shame, and never keeps his eyes away from his targets. The Creeper is also known to have the ability to regenerate any lost parts of his body within a short period of time._

_8th Ghost: Leatherface_

_Biography__: Abandoned by his family, due to his serious case of skin disease. Armed with a chainsaw and notorious for his distinct cackles, Leatherface is by far the most maniacal out of the 13 Ghosts. His name was inherited by his habit of taking the skin of his victims and assembling them together to make a facial mask._

_9th Ghost: Count Dracula_

_Biography__: Vlad Draculia was once a Romanian crusader from the late fifteenth century, fighting a long lasting war against the Turks. Returning to his homeland after the hard battles, he was grief-stricken when his wife was found dead, having committed suicide after believing her husband killed. Learning that his wife would not be sent to Heaven, due to her suicide, Vlad renounced God and swore to rise from his death to avenge hers. When Vlad died, his wish had indeed been granted. Thus he became Count Dracula. He now walks again, hungering for blood to keep his youth and stay alive._

_10th Ghost: Imhotep_

_Biography__: A high priest supposedly mummified, eaten by beetles and left to die inside his coffin when buried alive. After having broken the golden rule of placing hands onto the Egyptian princess of whom he loved, Imhotep was given the maximum penalty for his crime. Centuries later he was resurrected by foolish explorers…he continues to roam, consuming souls which he craves for._

_11th Ghost: Evil Ash_

_Biography__: His exact origin remains quite a mystery, though it is certain that he is related to the 'Necronomicon', or in translation, 'The Book of the Dead'. Once a proud leader of a skeletal army called the Army of Darkness during the Medieval times, Evil Ash had slain multiple armies including kingdoms' best trained knights._

_12th Ghost: Sadako_

_Biography__: Sadako was a confused young girl, who possessed incredible but uncontrollable psychic power. One of them was to actually will people to death. People who have been known to have provoked Sadako have simply died in disturbing manners, such as their heart simply stopping, their eyes wide open and their jaws locked. Unable to cope no more with the terrors his daughter had caused, Sadako's father threw her into a well, and sealed her inside forever, hoping she would die of starvation in there. Though surprisingly, it took many years until Sadako died. For the years she remained shuffling and crawling inside the well, she lived her life in total darkness, pleading for forgiveness and shouting for help…nobody came. It is for sure a tragic story, but many have taken no pity on this ghost after all the acts she had done._

_13th Ghost: ???_

_Biography__: Nobody is fully sure whether if there is in fact a 13th Ghost. Some think that there may be only twelve, but others consider otherwise. I have learned and read about facts that argue both for and against the existence of this mysterious ghost. Its name is surely not known, and it is uncertain whether this ghost has a physical form or not. A few believe that this ghost may in fact be both, for they believe that it is able to shift forms wherever and whenever it desires. Tales that have mentioned encounters with the 13th Ghost have been widely taken as hoaxes. As for myself, I feel that I am a skeptic on this. Knowing if there truly is a 13th Ghost is beyond my knowledge and understanding…perhaps this is a mystery that should be uncovered for another time._

…

**_Introduction_**

…

_"Grandmother, can I ask you a question?"_

_"Why, of course, dear Kairi. You know you are more than welcome to talk to me about anything you want, anytime."_

_"I'm just afraid to ask you, that's all."_

_"Don't be, my child.__ Never be afraid to ask. You know I'll always love you, no matter what happens to you."_

_"Well, okay…Grandmother…"_

_"Yes?"_

_"…do you believe in ghosts?"_

_"…"_

_"Do you believe in ghosts, Grandmother?"_

_"Dear Kairi… you first must understand what ghosts are. You see, when people are born, so are their hearts. And it is the same that when people die, so do their hearts. Those with pure hearts are able to rest peacefully. But those who have unfinished business, have died unjustly, or have befallen great tragedies in their life, cannot rest. And so traces of themselves are left behind to walk our worlds for all eternity. They are what we call ghosts, and there can be good ones, but there can also be bad ones. Good ghosts are not here to harm, and seek only for help from other living people. Bad ghosts, however, are people born with hearts that bear no light; hearts that were purely made out of darkness. They are outcasts, abominations, accidents in all nature. Like the Heartless, they exist with only one purpose; to swallow the light in other people's hearts. Every so often they come to the scattered worlds, hungering for ones that possess pure hearts so they can consume them."_

_"But why, Grandmother?"_

_"Because that is what they long for; it is something that they ultimately lack. And however long they may live, they will not be released from their damned prisons, because the darkness can never overcome the light. Do you understand, Kairi?" _

_"Grandmother, you sound unwell…are you scared?"_

_"No, my child.__ I'm not scared. Fear is the only thing that truly makes you scared…I have seen many things in my life, I have been through many adventures in my life, and I have encountered many ghosts in my life…both good and bad. And after such a hard road, I feel now soon will be the time for me to depart from this world."_

_"Don't say that Grandmother. I wouldn't want that to happen, because I love you so much."_

_"I love you too, Kairi. Thank you. You're the only grandchild I have, and I always pray that nothing bad shall happen to you…and to ensure that. I'd like to offer this to you."_

_"But, Grandmother…it's your pendant."_

_"Not anymore, my child. It belongs to you now. Here…have it. It has been passed down for many generations, and it has protected the family from the darkness for years. So take good care of it and you will never be taken in by it."_

_"Thank you, Grandmother. I won't lose it."_

_"You're welcome, Kairi…as long as you wear it, all the bad spirits cannot claim your heart…and don't you forget that."_

…

**_Thir13en Ghosts_**

**_By Charles Xavier_**

…

**Prologue: An Unexpected Visitor**

…

"Happy birthday to Kairi! Happy birthday to you!"

Inside a wooden seaside shack, a singing trio sang as they presented a large chocolate cake upon a very special girl.

"WAHOOO!!!!!!!!" Wakka applauded wildly, while Tidus set the cake down onto a small crate.

"Happy birthday, Kairi!" Selphie wrapped her arm round Kairi's neck and gave her a big warm hug. "You're now fifteen years old! What do you have to say for all your die-hard fans here right now?"

Kairi gave a forced smile and brushed back her long chestnut hair, getting a better view of her friends grinning at her. They'd certainly matured a lot, even if they were still young kids, and despite that Kairi had only been back on Destiny Islands for a few months. Still being teenagers, it meant that they had to take more responsibility of themselves. On the other hand, the good news was that nobody was around anymore to tell them about the dos and don'ts. Life had actually turned out more fun for the four of them, spending time around Destiny Islands swimming, playing beach ball, or just sitting back to relax and let the sun warm them up. And on nights like now, the island couldn't be more peaceful than this.

Kairi had enjoyed her life on Destiny Islands for a long time…yet every so often there was something beside the corner, waiting to make her happiness come to an abrupt halt, and now was no exception.

"Um…nothing special…but, thanks."

Tidus' and Wakka's smiles suddenly melted away once Kairi gave them the cold shoulder and slowly turned her cheek from them as if being bashful.

"Oh, come on, Kairi." Said Tidus with a deep moan. "Cheer up. You've been acting so blue ever since you've come back. You should be happy that you're with us and all. So please say something cool for a change."

"What's wrong, Kairi?" Selphie looked at her friend worryingly. "What could have possibly happened to you that made you this depressed?"

Wakku marched over and delivered Kairi a hard slap on the shoulder. "Hey, cheer up! You haven't even blown out the candles and made your wish yet!" He nudged his head over to the glowing cake sitting quietly in front of Kairi, waiting to be receive her blowing sensation.

When Kairi rolled her eyes around to the glimmering candles, she suddenly recognized the white yet mysterious light glowing behind that orangey color. And she realized that it was a light she had seen before…it was that same light she was standing under when…

_"Kairi!"_

…then unexpectedly, a voice from the distant past echoed in her ears…

_"Kairi!"_

_"Sora!"_

_"Kairi.__ Remember what you said before? I'm always with you, too. I'll come back for you. I promise!"_

_"I know you will!"_

"Yoo-hoo! Kairi!" Selphie called out to her. "Wakey! Wakey! Earth calling to Miss Kairi! Do you copy me?"

Kairi blinked her eyes and snapped from her reverie to find her friends paying their respects by bringing forth the cake directly in front of her face. And quite a surprise did it give her. There was a big '15' written with whipped cream at the centre of the white chocolate icing. Circling it were the fourteen candles, the last candle being placed between the '1' and the '5'. Chocolate cakes were one of Kairi's favorites, and to resist something so rich and delicious as this just wouldn't be like herself. And that was the problem…Kairi wasn't like herself tonight…or to be more frank, she never has been for the last few months…

For it was five months from now since she had last seen Sora and Riku, of whom she knew that perhaps more than 'liked' her. Missing them was like a daily routine for Kairi every day. There hadn't been a single day when her mind would be switched off from them. Sometimes she even dreamed about seeing either one of them, but always with their backs facing her…sadly. She hadn't seen their faces or heard their voices for so long, it made her wonder if they were even still alive…or maybe lost somewhere in the darkness…no, she knew that they were alive, she could feel it, even though she didn't quite know where they were…

"Come on, Kairi! Take a deep breath and fire away!" Tidus said, holding the massive cake with the others.

Kairi took a deep breath and everyone awaited her biggest moment…until they realized that her deep breath came out as nothing but a long sigh of grief. And not a single candle had been blown.

"I'm sorry, guys." Kairi dropped her eyes down to the sand. "I can't do this tonight…I…I'm just not feeling well."

Without setting her eyes up at any of her friends for even a wink, she silently turned her back to them and made her way to the door. Everyone settled the cake down in disappointment.

"Well…don't you at least want to make your wish?" Wakka suggested…right before Kairi opened the door and left, making a gust of wind rush into the shack and blow out the cake's candles for her.

The whole room became pitch black.

"Huh, I kinda guessed that…" Tidus' voice spoke out.

…

"…I get to have her slice of cake!"

"Oh, shut up, Tidus." Selphie commented.

…

It was a full moon tonight, and not one rain cloud was present to ruin Kairi's privacy as she headed down towards the sea, ignoring the waves splashing onto the coast and tempting her into their cold underworld. Tree leaves rustled together while the wind blew onto the island, making the sand fly onto the shack and rocks. And although the beach did seem deserted, looks still could be deceiving…

Kairi stopped just as the waves were about to touch her shoes, and she began to fix her eyes far upon the endless ocean, wandering whatever could be past what she could see. She would never forget that her true friends were somewhere out there, fighting through unspeakable dangers and encountering powerful enemies. But it all just boiled down to one question: "When would this end?"

That was what was on Kairi's mind.

"When?" Kairi whispered. "When will all of this end?"

_"Nobody knows for sure, dear. It's like a war we all have to face."_

Surprised to hear the mysterious voice, Kairi spun round to find a black shape concealed under the shadows of the trees. For a second, visions of Ansem went flashing into Kairi's eyes, but then…as she looked closer, she realized that the shape was not of the same height as him, but rather thinner. He wore a black leather cloak, which concealed most of his body. There was something about those clothes that made Kairi feel that this stranger was from far away…far from a foreign world. So she slowly approached him, yet still keeping her distance in case something suspicious was to occur.

"Who are you?" She asked.

The shape chuckled as if she was merely pulling a practical joke on him._ "I'd be delighted to answer that, my dear. But the real question is: 'Who are you?'"_

"…"

Kairi gave a puzzled look. That shape's voice…it sounded disturbingly creepy to her.

_"You don't know? Or is it maybe because you don't want to tell me...?" _The shape began to sway towards her. Kairi began to feel a chill running down her spine_ "I can see that you're a very troubled girl…you miss a lot of people…there are things in your life of which you yearn to know…it makes you depressed…and lost…" _

A hand reached out of the shadows and into the moonlight, revealing its pale icy fingers. It gripped firmly onto the girl's arm and felt the warmness of it, while Kairi in return felt how cold his hand was.

_"…so come…let me help you…I know exactly how you feel."_

"Look, I don't need any help from you. Let go of me." Kairi snapped as she tried to pull her arm away…but the shape wouldn't let go. "Let go of me, now! Did you hear me?"

_"Why…? Why does your voice tremble so? Do you not trust me, dear…?_

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!!" With one big pull, Kairi released herself from the shape's clutches and staggered back.

It wasn't long after that when a pack of giant bubbles began to sprout out from underneath the water by the undisturbed coast, not far away. They started to grow rapidly in size and a white fog made its first appearance as it slithered out from the water's surface. Kairi heard the bubbling in the sea and looked around to discover what was happening. Taking a few steps forward, she gazed down upon the eerie sight…and she knew for certain that she'd made a wrong move.

_"It's a pity…girls always tend to be more difficult than boys…don't they?" _The shape continued to speak. _"I strongly suggest that you reconsider now, my dear. If you are not willing to come with me by choice…then I'm afraid to say that you will have to come with me by force…Princess Kairi."_

Hearing those last two words, Kairi quickly turned around again to see him…the shape walked into the moonlight to reveal his face.

Kairi wanted to gasp but was too hesitant when she saw her hideous visitor; his skin white as snow, his head shaved, lined and covered all over with sharp long pins that penetrated though his skin. Kairi quickly turned around and sprinted towards the wooden stack, kicking the sand behind her trail. However, multiple chains suddenly emerged from the sea. They shot out as fast as a harpoon and stretched over to the girl escaping from the scene.

And alas, the chains managed to wrap themselves round Kairi's ankles and the poor girl tripped over, falling face down onto the wet sand.

_"The other princesses are already waiting for you in my world…"_ The man spoke boldly. _"Oh, I have so many gorgeous sights to show you. Why not join them?"_

The fall was severe enough to give Kairi a long while to recover. Hence, the chains pulled back and dragged the half-unconscious girl across the beach and towards the pool of bubbles. They gradually sank back down into the sea while the bubbles resumed their bubbling and the fogs surfed higher into the sky. And when Kairi felt the water touch her legs, she suddenly woke up to her senses and learned that the chains were taking her down into the sea with it. At that point Kairi could only struggle helplessly and scream from the top of her voice:

"AAAA!!!!"

Tidus was the first one to burst out of the wooden shack along with Wakka, then followed by Selphie.

"Kairi?!" Selphie searched around frantically for her. "Where are you?"

"OVER THERE!" Wakka pointed out to the sea. "Something's pulling her into the water!"

Everyone rushed down to Kairi, who already was now half swallowed by the bubbles swallowing her and taking her down into the sand under the water. The aggressive tides made it hard for her to reach her arms out for her companions. None of the three cared about getting wet either, for this was a matter to save one of their friend's life.

"HELP!" Kairi popped her head out from the water's surface, coughing out water that got into her lungs.

"Don't worry, Kairi! We've got you!" Tidus shouted as he grabbed her wrists tightly. Wakka and Selphie got behind him and heaved backwards as much as they could.

"Don't let go, Tidus!" Exclaimed Selphie.

But saying that only made the situation worse…because Kairi's arms slipped out of Tidus' hands and fell back into the water.

The three of them saw her scream out only bubbles as they watched her get devoured by the sea, with her hands still reaching out for them…before they too were gone.

"Kairi?"

When the bubbles had vanished and the fog had lifted, the sea had settled down. Selphie went on her knees and dug through the sand desperately with her fingers. The angry waves splashed onto her face as she tried to search deeper and deeper beneath the sea bed…but then she became exhausted, and took out a wet handful of sand. The sand slipped through the gaps of her fingers, and Seplhie finally believed that there was no trace of Kairi anymore.

Tidus stood there speechless…Wakka shook his head in shame and looked away…and Selphie couldn't help but tremble in horror, and muttered:

"She's…she's…"

Indeed, she was gone.

…

Author's Note: I own nothing in this story, and just to tell you, this is in fact a slight AU. If you're expecting to see a lot of random gore and blood (which I mostly dislike), you're not going to find much of it here, so I'm sorry to disappoint any of you. Even though this story stars many horror movie icons, this story will contain more action and combat rather than horror.

Anywho, the fights aren't quite ready to begin yet…so you have to be patient! (Though it would be nice to hear some of your ideal thoughts of who might fight who…just for the fun of it! ).


	2. Let The Battles Commence

**_An Extract From The Diary Of Ansem_**

...

_    He is growing restless. _

_    I haven't the slightest idea of what is circling around his mind, or what he is plotting. But whatever the 4th Ghost is up to now, I predict that he is growing more impatient by the days. When I visited his cell this morning, I was aroused to find him more awake than usual, as if perhaps he had been expecting my visit. He looked at me curiously, gazing into my tired eyes. Then I had a terrible feeling that he knew why I was keeping him and the others in this God forsaken basement. _

_    This afternoon was no different. For when I returned, he spoke out to me, saying that I was intending to keep them longer in their cells for further experimenting. How he could have known this is beyond me, but I began to fear the worst; Pinhead was becoming too intelligent among his surroundings. And if this would carry on any longer, it may be possible for him to find a way to escape, but even worst, free the other ghosts._

_    It had taken me several painful years to catch these twelve spirits, and I am in no way willing to release them out of my laboratory, no matter how much threat they may pose. I only pray that no one would ever uncover what I have been researching in these depths for the past few years. And if that is so, I will NEVER hand over them to anyone. They are too precious to be taken into idle hands…_

_    I don't know how much longer I can keep them…they all possess the powers of darkness within their hearts…yet, they also possess such unique powers…extraordinary powers…_

…

**_Thir13en Ghosts_**

**_By Charles Xavier_**

…

**Chapter One: Let The Battles Commence**

…

"Cloud!" A female voice shouted out. "Cloud, wake up!"

Cloud lifted his eyes, to find an anxious looking Aerith shaking his shoulder.

"Wake the hell up!" Cid shoved Aerith aside, grabbed the tired man's shoulders and lifted him up onto his feet. "This ain't no dream, kiddo! There's something you and I need to sort out here!"

"Hmmm?" Cloud moaned, gaining his full consciousness. "Cid…Aerith…why are you two in my room so late at night?"

"Your room?" Cid frowned. "Take a good look around us! Does this place look like your room to you?"

Cloud spun his head round, to learn that Cid was telling the truth; they weren't in his room, they were somewhere else. They happened to be standing in a place that felt sinister, claustrophobic, and not forgetting, chilly. There was hardly any light emitting anywhere, there were no walls, and the room seemed as if it was stretching out forever. But what frightened the three of them most, especially for Aerith, were the endless numbers of dangling chains hanging down from the ceiling. Cloud knew that this wasn't home: it was some twisted realm he couldn't describe.

"Where are we?" Aerith muttered, holding onto Cloud.

"Cid, would you mind telling us what's going on here?" Cloud asked him.

"Hey, I ain't got a clue!" He shrugged at him. "One minute I was just dozing away on my Highwind, the next minute I opened my eyes…I ended up here with Aerith waking me up!"

"Wait!" Aerith interrupted, placing her finger to her lips. "Did you hear something over there? It sounded like somebody's voice."

"Huh?" Cid was beginning to hear not a voice…but voices. There were voices echoing in the room, and it gave everyone a disturbing feeling. They all sounded like voices they knew. Cloud was the first one able to pick up where the noises were coming from.

"They're coming from over there!"

Cloud pointed to the direction, and with no time to waste, he led the way as Aerith and Cid followed behind him. Though when they reached their destination, they regretted what they discovered: there hung the princesses of hearts, held by chains that were wrapped around their delicate bodies, almost mummifying them. Even though they did not look harmed, their faces were pale and they were completely sucked out of their energy. All they could do was continuously cry out for help, perhaps escape from this horrifying nightmare.

"What is this place?" Aerith felt nauseous just by looking at how scared the princesses were. Why, they were so freaked out that they paid no attention to the three visitors standing by them. "What happened to all of them?"

Her question could not be answered, though, as a young girl's voice whispered in her ear from her back.

"Quick…you must get out of here!" She turned around and was scared out of her wits when she came face to face with Princess Kairi; her voice sounded weak, her legs and body were concealed within heaps of heavy chains, and only her arms and head were her only parts left revealed. Aerith stepped forward and gently touched her cold stricken cheeks…she grew so frightened that she had to hold her tears back.

"Don't worry, dear princess." Aerith knelt down and tried all she could to release the chains off of Kairi. "We'll get you out here as soon as we can."

"No." Kairi replied. "You have to get out of this place…or else he'll find you!"

"What's going on here?"

Cloud and Cid came to the rescue.

"Cloud, we have to get the princesses out of here!" Aerith cried in great distress. "I don't know what's going on, but I have a strong feeling that we're not meant to be here!"

"He'll find you! You have to get out of here before it's too late!" Kairi shouted to them.

"Who's gonna find us?" Cid demanded an answer. "Who's the lousy wisecrack keeping you all locked up here?"

Just then, a loud crash of metallic door shutting was heard in the distance.

"He's here!" Kairi murmured trembling. "He's here! Get out now while you still…mmmmmphphphph!!!!!!!!"

A chain suddenly wrapped behind Kairi's head, sealing her mouth shut. Cloud and the others stepped back when they heard someone laugh demonically from behind her. And out of from the shadows, stepped in a cloaked man with an appearance that shocked everyone that set eyes upon him.

"Ah…Cloud Strife…Aerith Gainsborough…and Cid Highwind…I have been expecting all of you." He said in a dominant voice. "It is so nice to have you here along with the other princesses of hearts. Oh, and please, you must excuse Princess Kairi, she is still trying to adapt herself into this new environment. She and the others have yet to taste the pleasures I shall so offer them soon enough."

Kairi burst into tears as she shook hard to get out of the chains that held her still.

"Aw…no tears please. It's a waste of good suffering." The man placed his hand onto Kairi's chin, lifting her face up to show everyone how her upset she looked.

"YOU MONSTER!" Cloud took out his buster sword and pointed at his enemy.

However, a chain went flying out from nowhere and disarmed him by whipping the weapon out of his hands.

"That would prove most unwise, Cloud." The man looked at him sternly. "If you are not going to cooperate, then perhaps it would be best to call off our little bargain, which I had so much arranged for all of you to participate in."

"Bargain…? What the hell are you on about, needle brain?!"

"A competition, Cid, a competition that will decide the outcome for your dear friends, including Princess Kairi. It so happens that a few friends of mine have been longing to challenge their abilities against…your kind."

"Our kind?"

"Your kind, Aerith. We are spirits that hunger for the purest hearts…and these ones certainly are of no exception." He turned his face towards each and every tied up princess surrounding him. None of them found it pleasant when he looked into their eyes, making them feel that they were merely part of a butterfly collection of his. "But we feel that it is not enough…we need more to devour…more to deplete. Thus it has all come down to this: we have ultimately agreed to fight against certain individuals of your kind, and with every bout we win, we will consume the heart of our defeated opponent."

"And if you lose?"

"Then, dear Cloud, your friends will be free to go. But that is not the real point, for you see, this is judged by the balance of whoever wins and whoever loses. If my friends happen to defeat a majority of yours, then I'm afraid that will spell doom for all of your kind. Though if you manage to defeat many of us, then you shall be released…living your lives as you once did."

"Aerith, I'm not sure about this." Cid nudged Aerith. "Should we really pull through this crap?"

"Cid, if we want to save the princesses, we must do what he says."

"I offer you no lies. If most of your friends come out alive, you shall be freed…but if not, we shall tear your souls apart."

"You have your word on that?" Cloud asked him boldly. "And you will release the princesses if we ever win on your bet, yes?"

"You have my word, Cloud." The man bowed his head at him. "A firm handshake with you will seal this deal between us…shall we?"

Unafraid of what might happen…he approached the man and took his hand, shaking it; he didn't want to know the consequences if they were to loose.

"If you touch Princess Kairi, I swear that I will have your head on my sword." Cloud threatened.

"Very well…but now, it is time to play."

…

Yuffie felt a chill on her shoulder, and opened her eyes…no longer was she asleep in her bedroom back in Wutai, but she found herself lying in a large boiler room. Coal was burning in the fires, pipes were leaking smoke but the area was deserted.

"What is this?" She rose onto her feet and rubbed her eyes; this place wasn't a dream, and Yuffie wasn't feeling a hundred percent comfortable about what was going on. For some odd reason she couldn't explain, she felt rather scared; a gust of wind began blowing behind her neck and she happened to hear voices of little children whispering around her. And though there was nobody present, Yuffie was sure that there was somebody with her. "Leon…? Aerith…? Cid…? Cloud…? Is that you?"

She heard something screeching on the metal walls. Yuffie tried all she could to pick up where it was coming from, but the room she was in seemed like a maze to her. It would have been easy to get lost in this dark place.

"Who's there?"

The young girl got no reply. Yuffie dug her hands into her pockets, taking out her shurikens. But her hands were shaking when she listened closer to the voices of children resounding within the empty atmosphere. They were in fact singing:

…

_One, two,_

_Freddy's coming for you._

_Three, four,_

_Better lock your door._

_Five, six,_

_Grab a crucifix._

_Seven, eight,_

_Try to stay awake._

_Nine, ten,_

_Never sleep again._

…

"Show yourself!" Yuffie couldn't stand it any longer, as she was on the brink of losing her mind. "Show yourself you freaking coward!"

A metal claw tapped onto Yuffie's shoulder. She turned round quickly, to encounter the entity that was with her in the room. It delivered her an evil grin and cackled like a madman.

"Welcome to my world, bitch."

Yuffie froze when Freddy Krueger appeared before her.

…

Author's Note: Okay, I guess we're getting somewhere in this fic. Since I've been highly distracted by the release of 'Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories' and 'Kingdom Hearts 2', my time for writing this fic has kind of slowed me down. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing. So please review before you leave! I appreciate them a lot!

Next Chapter: Freddy Vs. Yuffie.

BTW: Any of you want to bet who should win?


	3. Freddy Vs Yuffie

_**Thir13en Ghosts**_

_**By Charles Xavier**_

…

**Chapter Two: Freddy Vs. Yuffie**

…

"Welcome to my world, bitch." Freddy presented Yuffie with his gloved weapon on his hand. "I can tell that I'm going to enjoy this, a lot. And it's time for me to get back into the habit, starting with you." He pointed a claw at her with a wicked sneer on his face. "Come to Freddy!"

"You wish!" Yuffie scowled back and quickly somersaulted backwards, tossing a shuriken at her adversary. Unfortunately her actions weren't swift enough to outsmart the ghost. Freddy saw what was coming; he raised his hand and caught the shuriken within his claws, preventing it from slicing into his ugly face. Yuffie wasn't too surprised, however, as she was only getting warmed up. "If you want me, come and get me puke face!"

Freddy was annoyed by that last remark she made, since he never liked people insulting him. He squeezed the shuriken in his hand angrily and crushed it up into a round up ball. "You really want to die, don't you? Then allow me to assist you!"

Raising his weapon high, Freddy dashed towards Yuffie at lightning speed, giving him the advantage to slash Yuffie across the right side of her chest. Yuffie felt the cold metal of his claws cut through her shirt and her skin when she took the damage severely. By the time she noticed that she'd been cut, Freddy had already delivered her a punch in the eye followed by a high kick in the jaw, the latter attack making her fall way backwards onto the metallic wall.

While Yuffie was trying to recover from her unexpected attacks, Freddy was busy licking her blood dripping from his claws with his long slimy tongue. When Yuffie got back onto her feet, she suddenly fell back, grasping the fatal wound on her chest. Checking it, she saw that Freddy had dug quite deep into her, so she knew from there this fight wasn't going to get any nicer if she didn't watch herself.

Just as she got back up again, she tossed another shuriken at Freddy. Freddy focused his eyes on the sharp flying object as it came, hurling towards him. He then swiped his claws upon the shuriken just when it was coming down close to the tip of his hat. The shuriken flung aside, but when Freddy looked back at Yuffie, she was charging full speed at him. Yuffie swung her fist forwards, but Freddy tilted his head back. She performed a sweep, but Freddy jumped over her leg. She then attempted to do a roundhouse kick, but Freddy caught her leg and swung her across the room, making her smack into a rusty old boiler. Freddy took this chance to get control of her and make her swing randomly everywhere around the place. Laughing joyfully, he sent Yuffie's body smashing onto other boilers and knocking through gas and water pipes, making this seem like his own cruel version of a pinball game.

"Aw…" When Freddy was tired of mucking around, he simply released his control on Yuffie and let her drop to the ground. "…tilt!" He sniggered.

Yuffie coughed up blood from her mouth as she was lying there, unable to move her arms and legs after what had just happened. Still rather dizzy in the head, she heard Freddy's footsteps thumping louder and louder behind her upon the metal grated floor. She also heard the claws from his hand tap onto the metal bars. She rolled her eyes upwards and saw Freddy standing, staring down right back at her with a smirk. And without mercy, he took up his right foot and carefully placed it on top of Yuffie's rib cage, pressing it down hard.

Yuffie couldn't stand the pain, she moaned out loudly in agony as the pain got worse. But that wasn't quite Freddy's plan; he knelt down on one knee, placed one hand onto her forehead to keep her still, he lifted his clawed hand above his head, and was ready to plunge it directly down into Yuffie's teary eyes. Just as Freddy thought he was going to win, Yuffie clutched her hands onto Freddy's hand, making the tips of his claws only an inch away apart from her pupils. She struggled difficultly with him, and was unsure how much longer she could hold this up for. But then, she felt something slip out of her pockets.

Casting an eye down, Yuffie saw that a red Materia ball had rolled out of her shorts: a Fire Materia. Risking it, Yuffie released one of her hands from Freddy's and reached out for the round object. By stretching out her fingers, she could only touch the edge of the ball with her nails. But determinedly she tipped it towards her, hence the Materia became much easier for her to reach. When Yuffie held it firmly in her hand, she pointed it directly in front of Freddy's face, shouting at the top of her voice:

"FIRE 3!"

"AAAA!"

Freddy was engulfed in flames and was thrown backwards from the magic's impact. Yuffie, relieved that her eyes were untouched, put down her Materia and sat up, looking at how Freddy was handling. Freddy yelled out in rage and horror as the fire blanketed him up and burned down every part of him. Waving his arms and body aimlessly helped nothing and only made the flames grow bigger in size. Yuffie crawled back away from Freddy as he tried to approach her. But soon his legs went numb and he collapsed down to his knees. From there, all he could do was reach out…until finally dropping dead to the floor, still in flames.

"Don't you ever call me bitch." Yuffie muttered.

…

"God in heaven, run!"

Balamb Garden had rarely been in a state of panic, and today was just exactly how it was. Hundreds of students and teachers from the SeeD academy ran frantically around the building everywhere. Squall Leonhart stood in the middle of the classroom, watching everyone around him go berserk, with a reason that was unclear to him. He didn't seem as frightened as everyone else though.

"What's going on?" Squall stood up from his chair, demanding to know an answer.

"There's some crazy guy in this building killing everyone!" A male student shouted at him. "He's coming this way into the classrooms!"

And just then, the classroom door was broken down and in came a giant muscular figure, armed with a sharp machete and wearing a hockey mask to conceal a hideous face. Most of the students cowered to the windows at once, while a few had enough spunk to arm themselves and charge straight to the figure. But they only ended up getting hacked and crushed by the figure's mighty strength.

"Ch…ch…ch…a…a…a…"

A haunting echo filled the classroom and made the students scared half to death. Indeed, Jason Voorhees was of no match to anybody in Balamb Garden. But there was one man standing in his way that blocked him from laying hands on the other students. Squall slipped out his Gunblade and pointed it at Jason, prepared to take on his challenge.

…

Author's Note: Out of all the votes and e-mails I got…Yuffie seemed to be everyone's favorite to win! (I personally would have liked her to win too, just to tell ya). But my humble apologies go to Freddy fans (I'm not against the guy, honestly).

Next: Jason Vs. Leon.

(Bets anybody?)


	4. Jason Vs Leon

**_Thir13en Ghosts_**

**_By Charles Xavier_**

…

**Chapter Three: Jason Vs. ****Leon**

…

"Ch…ch…ch…a…a…a…"

Squall paid no attention to the voices he heard. With Jason striding towards him, holding his machete, he couldn't tell whether this fight was going to be easy or hard for him. He had to do the best he could.

"That's it." Squall said. "Come on over here."

When Squall was within Jason's range, Jason hurled his machete down at Squall. But the only thing he managed to slice through was the wooden floor. Squall had rolled under through the big man's legs and spun round quickly. Getting up, he took his Gunblade and sliced Jason across his back. Jason fell down to one knee from the force of the attack, but felt no pain from it whatsoever. Squall backed away in the meantime, telling the students to get out of the classroom.

"Get out of here!" He waved his arm at them. "Hurry!"

The students were more than obliged to do so. They ran off screaming and shouting away, warning others outside to stay away from the fight that was likely to get brutal. Squall brought his concentration back to Jason, who was already standing up, kindly waiting for him to continue from where they left off.

Squall wasn't willing to waste any more time. He took his Gunblade again and prepared to cast off a Renzokuken Limit Break. He ran, leapt into the air and got ready to begin his attack. But unfortunately, Jason's strength was able to withstand what Squall had planned for. By simply blocking with his machete, Squall's Gunblade couldn't cut through Jason's strong resistance. Trying as hard as he could, it was not possible for Squall to get anywhere in this struggle. So he decided to discard his Limit Break attack.

Taking one step back, he swung his Gunblade several times, horizontally and vertically. Most of his attacks managed to cut Jason, but they hardly had any effect on him and he was still at full strength, treating this fight as if it were only his warm up. Jason repelled his other attacks, and sadly for Squall, he was starting to get a little worn down.

When Jason was smart enough to realize that Squall was weakening in this battle, he took his turn of attack and swung his machete down onto Squall. Squall reacted by bringing his Gunblade above his head and preventing Jason from splitting his brain into two. With this distraction, Jason then took Squall by the neck firmly, making him drop his Gunblade and choke suddenly.

"Acckkk…" Squall felt his feet lift off from the ground as Jason brought him up. Looking into those angry eyes within his mask, Squall tried to kick his way out of this mess. But Jason had his turn first by literally throwing Squall out of the classroom…and into the corridor, where many of the Balamb students were still lingering about.

Students were glued to the wall as Jason came out, marching heavily towards Squall, who was still lying on the floor. Now, sans his Gunblade, things were going to get far tougher than he had thought; all he had now to fight with was his fists. And that wasn't a good sign. But noticing that Jason was approaching him, he got up and faced his foe unafraid. He swerved his fists into Jason's face, hitting his mask senselessly…that only annoyed Jason. He grabbed both of Squall's hands, picked him up and swung him further down the hall, making him end up around the walkway bridge.

Squall opened his eyes and saw that his hand was covered in the blood that was leaking out of his nose. Looking up, he wasn't amazed to see Jason returning. He arose again, still determined to stay on his toes. As Jason's macho form came for him, Squall's first action was to run away…not because he was scared, but because he had just thought up a cunning idea. He stopped when he came to the elevator wall. Turning back, he waited for Jason to follow him.

Jason believed that this was to be Squall last minute to live. But he knew nothing about what Squall was plotting…neither did he know that the elevators in Balamb Garden regularly ran on high voltage. Squall waited patiently for Jason to take up his machete and swing again. And when he did so, Squall leaped out of the way, letting Jason miss and accidentally cut into the elevator fuse box on the wall. The fuse box burst and sent thousands of flows of electricity running through Jason's body.

"Squall!" A male student shouted behind him. Squall looked back and saw that one of his friends was holding his Gunblade. The student threw the weapon at him to claim and Squall caught it with his hands. And now with his Gunlade back, Squall went back to Jason, who was still being electrocuted. Seeing that he was temporarily paralyzed, Squall used his Gunblade and hacked his arm off, releasing him from the fuse box.

Jason was now the one left weaponless. His missing arm was still in tact with the machete stuck to the wall. Squall did not hesitate to kick Jason in the stomach and shove him towards the edge of the floor walkway. With ease he picked him up and tossed him over the walkway, making him fall thousands of feet below and splashing into the central fountain on the main floor of Balamb Garden.

For Squall, it was hard to believe that Jason was anywhere near alive, after seeing him take such a big fall. But nevertheless, he had go down there and make sure. Since the elevators had been halted due to Jason's 'misfire', Squall sprinted down the stairways to the main floor.

Students were gathered around the large fountain, curious but nervous of what might be lurking beneath the water. Everyone made way when Squall came forward to investigate. He climbed over and jumped in, gripping his Gunblade solidly. The water's surface reached up to his waist and that made it chilly for the young soldier. Squall felt the coldness of the water seep into his pants and touch his deliacate skin; and it made him tenser by the seconds. Searching deep within the fountain's depths, he could spot nothing that resembled a muscle bound giant. But there was one place in the fountain that he didn't inspect carefully, and that was behind his back…

"SQUALL!!!!!"

The students cried, pointing out at an infuriated Jason rising out from the water behind Squall. However, Squall remained calm even at this moment. He raised his arms, twirled around to face Jason, and sliced his head clean off when he pulled the trigger of his Gunblade. Jason's flying head landed on one of the fountain's grand statues, while his headless and twitching body slumped forwards, splattering back into the water and sinking down below the surface.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!"

Squall almost jumped out of his skin when he was unexpectedly delivered a mighty applause by students and teachers alike around him. Boys were waving their fists at him with glory, while the girls were shouting his name and dancing as if they were cheerleaders. No wonder. It was obvious that they loved how Squall finished Jason off…no one was going to forget that for sure. It had been a short but intense fight that had come to an end.

Squall let out a deep sigh and shook his head, saying: "Rinoa is never going to believe this."

…

Jack Skellington always found relaxation whenever he visited the graveyard. But tonight when he came, he was far from being relaxed. Trouble had waited for him there by the minute he stepped in. And it didn't make Jack too pleased by what he saw…

"Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!" Zero growled distrustfully at the stranger with them.

"I don't know who you are, or what your purpose of being here is." Jack said sternly at his intruder. "But if you put the knife down and let go of Sally, then I assure you that nobody will get hurt."

Alas, the dark stranger remained silent and refused to release Sally, threatening to slit her throat with the butcher knife he held. Jack hadn't the slightest idea of what was running inside the stranger's head. Just looking at his emotionless face gave him the creeps…yet he was the pumpkin king! There was no reason for him to be scared. Jack had to somehow save Sally now before she would end up disassembled again.

"I demand that you unhand Sally now!" Jack was beginning to lose his patients.

Zero was fed up, though. He flew towards the stranger and leapt onto his face. The stranger dropped his knife and wrestled with the ghostly dog. And Sally, now released, ran to Jack and hid behind him.

"Jack!" She panted.

Jack gave a high whistle and summoned Zero back to him.

"Sally…you and Zero must leave here, now!" Jack said to her. "Quickly, run! Get out of this place while I handle this problem!"

"But…"

"GO!"

He shoved Sally aside when he saw that the stranger was picking up his knife. Sally had to obey him, if he wanted to save her bacon. So she opened the gateways and fled to Halloween Town with Zero accompanying her along the way.

Jack cracked his knuckles and rolled his head, as he was about to face his toughest foe since Oogie Boogie…Michael Myers.

…

Author's Note: All righty then! Looks like a majority of you readers wanted Leon to win! (No offense, Jason lovers). I'm not too surprised though, since a lot of you fan girls heavenly adore him (wink). As for me…I think he's cool, but I'd probably get upset if Jason beat the crap out of him mercilessly. Oh, and I'm halfway through Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories! Things are getting interesting there! Buy it now!

Next: Jack Vs. Michael.

(Anybody want to decide who the true king of Halloween is?)


	5. Jack Vs Michael

**__**

Thir13en Ghosts

**__**

By Charles Xavier

…

****

Chapter Four: Jack Vs. Michael

…

"This is your last chance." Jack warned the masked man, pointing his bony finger at him. "If you do not leave these grounds now, I will be forced to take drastic action upon you!"

Michael was not interested in his strong words. He lurched towards his enemy like Frankenstein's creation and raised his knife high to the top of his shoulder. Jack took it that this walking phantom wasn't here to take orders from Halloween Towners like him. So that left him no choice but to take the cruel alternative: combat.

"So be it!"

Jack took the first move by cartwheel somersaulting towards Michael. With his long limbs, skinny body and super fast reflex abilities, Michael's menacing eyes couldn't keep up with his incredible speed. And that was the reason why Jack also took the first shot: once he was in attack range with Michael, he placed himself into a handstand position and spun his body quickly in a break-dancing motion. Doing so made Michael receive countless numbers of kicks in the face by Jack's open legs, twirling about like a pair of helicopter propellers against him.

Once Jack was through with that, he took to his feet and smacked Michael left and right with his bone-solid knuckles. But during the process, Michael clasped his left hand and brought him forwards. Taking up his knife again, he attempted to stab Jack with a downward blow…but failed. Jack saw it coming and dodged the weapon when he leaned over onto Michael's arm that grasped him. He rolled over so he was laying against his arm, and kicked the knife out of his hand before Michael noticed it. Jack then delivered a second kick in his face yet again, but this time harder than his last tries.

Michael was not pleased…not at all. He took Jack's other hand and pulled him over from his side, facing him directly. Jack fought back aggressively and heat butted Michael, making him jerk back slightly…but it wasn't enough to keep him down for hardly any seconds. Michael returned his kindness to Jack by presenting him not one, not two, but three head butts against his skull. And if that wasn't munificent enough, he swung his weightless body over into one of the graveyard's grim looking monumental figures. Jack smashed through the figure, shattering it into thousands of pieces. And on the way down, he also smashed through a couple of tombstones…but luckily they weren't of ones Jack especially knew.

"Oh…my head."

Jack groaned with a massive headache. Rubbing his beaten head…he learned that his skull was almost beginning to crack! He felt the lines on his skull that signaled his fear, and he dared himself not touch them any longer. For when he opened his eyes, Michael was only five steps away from him…and he wasn't in the mood to fool around any longer.

Jumping to his feet, Jack dropped one hand to the ground and leaned sideways. He lifted up his legs and double kicked Michael on his hip, which made him stunned for a short while. Jack rose up again and leaped onto him like a savage creature, pushing him backwards. Michael fell back and tumbled down a steep slope along with Jack. The two wrestled restlessly as they went downhill, ending up in the pumpkin field.

Both still on the ground, Michael was atop Jack, firing his fists to the soil as he constantly kept missing Jack's head. Jack got out of his trapped position by slithering down under Michael and tripping him over to his back with a sweep from his leg. Once Michael had fallen, Jack jumped onto him and sat on his stomach, giving him more beatings with his fists. Michael, noticing that his punches were getting weaker and weaker, gathered strength in his bare hands to slap them straight onto Jack's severed skull.

Jack stopped when he felt Michael compressing hard against his head, squeezing it with incomparable force. His fingers began sinking into the inner depths of his skull, and Jack found it nerve wrecking. Taking Michael by his wrists, he tried all he could to draw his hands away as he couldn't resist the enormous pressure that his angered enemy was implying. But Jack's energy to fight further was fading…and Michael's was just growing. Jack yelped out as the pain got worse and his skull began to crack deeper. He started to lean back as Michael sat up, fracturing him shamelessly. And just like a pumpkin in the palms of his hands, Michael crushed Jack's skull until he was left completely headless. Jack's hands loosened, and his body fell motionless while the remaining skeletal bits of his head trickled down his coat and shirt.

Throwing the useless body away, Michael got up and removed his mask to give it some tidying up after the fight. When he was finished, he slipped it back on and left the field, disappearing into the mists of the night.

…

"Father?" A seven year old boy called out in the giant toy factory. "Father, were are you?" He said louder…but there was no response.

Pinocchio couldn't understand why he'd all of a sudden been brought in this eerie place…one minute he was in Geppetto's house dreaming away in bed, the next minute he was stuck here. And come to think of it, ever since he'd become a real boy, he'd frequently been having dreams…but none had come close to this one. This felt something beyond a dream…and beyond any nightmare.

The factory's heavenly lights were at full power, and it would have blinded Pinocchio if he was to stare straight into one of them. Somewhere far away he could hear heavy machinery howling…but that wasn't his concern from where he was standing. For surrounding him side by side in high rows were countless packed boxes, and within them held cute looking dolls…all given the same name as Pinocchio read on their labels: Chucky. With scruffy hair, freckled face and loveable expressions, the dolls reminded him back to when he was a wooden boy…

"Whoa!"

Pinocchio jumped back in surprise when all the dolls turned their heads mechanically to his eyes, saying in friendly but disrupting voices:

"Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play…? I'll be your friend 'til he end. Hi-dee ho! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

The dolls stared at him with smiles all over their faces, as if waiting for him to give a reply. But Pinocchio was getting a bad vibe about them; though they seemed harmless in every way, something about their smiles told him that something wasn't quite normal…and his prediction came true, when the Chucky doll nearest to him spoke out:

"Hi, I'm Chucky. And I don't like you."

Pinocchio took one step back.

"Hi, I'm Chucky. And I'm going to kill you."

Pinocchio took his second step back.

"Father…?" Pinocchio called out again, his body and voice quivering. He was hoping that he was somewhere in this unfamiliar complex. "…Father, I think one of your toys is broken…come quick!"

Something did come quick to him, but it wasn't Geppetto…

"I said I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch!" The doll's delightful charm melted away into a horrid nefarious face as it shouted at Pinocchio threateningly in a deep manly voice. "You've been a very naughty boy!"

Chucky reached an arm behind his back and took out a Commando's hunting knife. Shoving it through the plastic cover that sealed him inside his wretched toy box, he cut himself free and hopped out. Pinocchio cowered back as the live doll stretched his arms out and swung them round…then he faced him, smiled devilishly with his murderous eyes and shining his knife.

"Hee! Hee! Hee!" Chucky cackled before Pinocchio's terror-stricken face.

…

Author's Note: Ooh…this was a tough fight to decide the winner. I almost received an equal amount of votes for both sides, but fortunately (or should I say unfortunately) Michael was the man who finally stood out after all that struggle! YAY! (or BOO!)

And thank you to you readers reviewing and e-mailing me. I'm always glad to see you're enjoying this…and Happy New Year!

Next: Chucky Vs. Pinocchio.

(Bets are always welcome!)


	6. Chucky Vs Pinocchio

__

"Some people believe that when you die, there is a wonderful light. As bright as the sun, but it doesn't hurt to look into it. All the answers to all the questions you want to know are inside that light. And when you walk to it…you become part of it forever. Now, some people die, but they don't know they're gone."

Dr. Lesh

"Poltergeist"

…

**__**

Thir13en Ghosts

**__**

By Charles Xavier

…

****

Chapter Five: Chucky Vs. Pinocchio

…

"What's wrong with you, kiddo? Don't you like playing with dolls?" Chucky pointed the sharp tip of his knife at the frightened little boy, advancing one step forward as Pinocchio advanced one back. "Or would you rather go home and play tea party with the little baby girls!" He taunted crudely at him with an unkindly snicker.

"NO!" Pinocchio fell down to his knees and pleaded in tears. Just listening to Chucky's horrible remarks was just as terrifying as turning into a donkey. "No, please don't kill me! I don't deserve to die like this! I'm a real boy, and I've been a good boy!"

"No, please don't kill me!" Chucky mimicked him in shear pretence. "I don't deserve to die like this! I'm a real boy, and I've been a good boy. BOO! HOO! HOO!" He stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry, spreading saliva all over Pinocchio's kind-hearted face.

"PLEASE, SIR! DON'T KILL ME!" Pinocchio continued to beg for mercy. "My father will be sad if he finds me dead!"

"Ah, to hell with your old God damn pops! That diaper waste probably doesn't give a shit about you now." Chucky said in a harsh voice. "So you better cut it out with this maudlin crap, 'cause you're just pissing me off by every second I have to see your sorry-ass waterworks!"

"But I…"

"COME HERE!"

Chucky ran full steam ahead towards Pinocchio, waving his knife like a psychotic maniac who had just broken out of his cell. Pinocchio took instinct and turned his back, fleeing from the demonic doll that was going to slice him into ham.

Pinocchio ran through the maze of stacked boxes containing Chucky dolls, all laughing at him with ironic glee and mocking his utter cowardice to face his foe. Pinocchio tried to shut his ears away from their voices, panting deeply along the way. But with Chucky hot in his pursuit, he couldn't care less of what was being said about him…he desperately needed to get out of this toy factory alive.

Path by path, route by route, Pinocchio didn't have the time to stop and think which way he was going. Chucky never let him out of his sight for one measly second, and already he was draining Pinocchio of his energy to move faster. Pinocchio's legs were beginning to ache in pain as minutes passed.

But luckily…or sadly…Pinocchio's feet came to a halt when he was faced against a white blank wall at the end of his path. With absolutely no other way to run, it looked like he had unwillingly come to a dead end. And what's worse, Chucky was behind him…

"Hee! Hee! Hee! Nowhere to run…and nowhere to go!" Chucky smelt victory running up his nose as he could see that he had Pinocchio cornered now. "You've made Chucky real angry after tiring him out from that long chase, when all he wanted to do play with you…now I'm going to bash your brains in and take your precious body for myself…and hey, it's like what I said. I'll be your friend until the end!"

"Sir, no! Please don't! I'm too young to die, honestly!"

"HA! HA! HA!" Chucky merely laughed back, poking a thumb at him. "Now the kid's calling me sir! That's hysterical! BWA! HA! HA! HA! HAAAA! Me…sir! HA! HA! HAAAA!"

Pinocchio's fear of Chucky was slowly converting to anger, for he couldn't stand seeing him laughing his head off. It made Pinocchio insulted…and weak for no reason. Maybe it was time that he showed this bozo what a real boy could really do…

While Chucky was busy amusing himself, Pinocchio threw himself sideways and rammed into a mountainous pile of doll boxes. At that second, Chucky got out of his humorous fit when he realized that he was being overshadowed by something above his head. Looking up, he gulped a lump down his throat when he saw boxes raining down on him like red bricks and burying him alive underneath.

Pinocchio stood motionless from his position, waiting for any precise moment if Chucky was ever to crawl himself out of the wreck. But once the silence fell and no more shuffling could be heard, Pinocchio felt he had conquered his fear of the living doll.

Now that he was out of the way, the only problem that remained was finding a way out. Pinocchio still had to explore this factory more thoroughly and familiarize himself with it better. And since this was a dead end, the only direction he could take was backwards.

Pinocchio climbed up unafraid and over the mess he had made. And just when he was leaving, he took no awareness of Chucky quietly emerging out from the boxes behind him. Though no longer holding a knife, Chucky wrapped up a sleeve to reveal a roll of metal string he had attached to his wrist. Slipping a piece of the string out to a reasonably long length, he tip-toed up to Pinocchio, threw his hands forward and with deceit wrapped the string firmly round his neck.

"Aaaack…"

Pinocchio felt something clog up his regular supply of oxygen. Unable to see who or what was making him suffocate, he set his hands over to the string Chucky held tightly around him. Trying to take it off was proving most difficult. No matter how hard Pinocchio shook and kicked to set himself free, it seemed impossible for him to overcome Chucky's ruthless force.

Once his face ran pale and cold and his sight became unfocused, Pinocchio took one last breathe and did not move again. His body leaned back onto Chucky, who carelessly pushed him forwards and threw him onto the floor face first. With the fight done, Chucky pulled back on his sleeve and snorted. He gathered up phlegm up his throat and spat into Pinocchio's eye.

Chucky stared down at his dead victim with a sinister smile…just staring into his lifeless eyes made Pinocchio look like a worthless puppet doll again. Chucky thought it was best he ended up that way. Though he had not succeeded in claiming his body, he never took more joy than to make other people's lives more miserable than his…especially for kids.

"Sweet dreams, you wooden dick."

…

Ariel the little mermaid was out again on another treasure hunt, searching for rare artifacts for her collection. This time though, she chose to explore as far away as possible from Atlantica, her home. Her father would usually get into uptight moods whenever his youngest daughter was wandering off without permission. But regardless of how worried he could get, Ariel took it rather casually and didn't quite care whatever warnings he would deliver her…

This time, however, Ariel was by herself. Since it was late at night, it was her only chance for her to venture into places she had never set eyes upon. Everyone in Atlantica was fast asleep at this hour, even her friends Sebastian and Flounder. And waking anybody up would probably cause great disturbances.

So Ariel decided to go alone…

…

Her father had once warned Ariel of a wrecked ship at the deepest depths of the ocean where it was said to be haunted. And of course, that was Ariel's first site to visit.

Once she had found the ship, she helped herself to wander around inside curiously, despite the strange chills she was feeling on the tip of her fin.

Barely any light was shed within this abandoned wreck. Not even a fish, an eel, or any other sea creature had taken any residence inside. Ariel realized that her father wasn't kidding when he told her that this place was spooked. It felt atmospherically uneven, as if something bestial or unholy was monitoring her in secrecy.

And in fact, there was.

Something unspeakable had been following Ariel from her home and to these forsaken grounds with its blackest marble eyes. Through the darkest shades and shadows, it moved and shifted, stalking the young mermaid everywhere she went in tranquility. And once it had seen that Ariel was entering the Captain's bedroom, wherein it was almost pitch black, it was ready to take its move…

…

Ariel searched through wardrobes, cupboards, desks and drawers in the room to find anything that attracted her interest. Though while she was doing so, she suddenly heard something bubble up from behind her back.

"Huh?"

Looking round, she saw nothing…assuming it to be here own hallucinations, she continued from where she had left off…but Ariel not only heard the same noise again, but it came included with a faint growling sound. It was a growl that hinted to her ears that whatever being was present with her was most unfriendly, and most disturbing of all…hungry.

"Who's there?"

Ariel called out to the darkness. But nobody replied.

She jumped in fright when she heard the door slam shut with a loud creak. Whether she was locked in or not didn't quite matter. Ariel was getting freaked out now; she was starting to regret ever visiting this place and wished she hadn't come alone. Swimming directionless around the all-too-quiet room, she looked over at the high scaled glass window which showed nothing but the empty waters outside of the ship. It was also from where the only light was being shone, and that made Ariel feel very uncomfortable since not much was coming through.

She decided to head towards the window, wondering if she would be able to open them. On the way, she came across a wooden wardrobe that hadn't been opened yet. Though it looked tempting to inspect, Ariel was not in the greatest mood. So she ignored it and swam by. But as she did, the wardrobe's doors popped open and out fell a human skeleton dressed in a shredded and worn out uniform.

Ariel screamed as the Captain's body fell on top of her. She immediately pushed it away, swam frantically towards the window and looked back at her attacker.

No fear, the skeleton was not alive; it had simply fallen out by accident due to the wardrobe's rotting wood. What made Ariel upset about it, though, was that it was found completely armless. The Captain's arms looked like they had been horridly chopped off, or possibly bitten off…he was must have bled to death inside the wardrobe during his last moments.

It disgusted Ariel greatly, and it was time that she headed back home…she had gone through enough scary encounters for the night and didn't want to stick around for any more. So facing back to the window, she intended to open it up and leave…

That was not so. A black gigantic creature crashed against the glass, breaking through with ease. Ariel ducked down for cover and avoided the shards falling down. Opening her eyes up to see what had swam in, the creature rushed back into the shadows where it preferred. When Ariel rose, she covered her mouth and gasped at the creature's humongous form moving monstrously and roaring at her hatefully. As it slowly lifted itself away from the darkness to show itself, Ariel knew that she was facing something far beyond hideous and threatening than a Great White…

She was facing the deadliest shark of them all: Jaws.

…

Author's Note: I was hoping you guys would have rooted Pinocchio…I didn't realize he had so many fan-haters. But yet again, I had to think realistically about this fight. I don't think Pinocchio would stand ANY chance against Chucky. I think Chucky would just make fun of his goodie little two shoes character (as I have presented in this chapter) anyway.

Next: Ariel Vs. Jaws.

(Place your bets!)


	7. Ariel Vs Jaws

**__**

Thir13en Ghosts

****

By Charles Xavier

…

****

Chapter Six: Ariel Vs. Jaws

…

Jaws offered no chance for Ariel to react. By the second she blinked her eyes at it, the ferocious shark had swam forward and had opened up its gargantuan mouth to insistently welcome her inside. Ariel's eyes picked up on its bloodstained teeth and she was not fooled whatsoever. She kicked away from her enemy just before Jaws slammed its trap shut, saving herself from being crunched unexpectedly.

But Jaws was a stubborn shark, and simply didn't stop to pause. Just after one attack, it gave Ariel another…and another and so forth. Chomping its way forwards, Ariel kept her distance away from Jaws' flesh hungry teeth swerving in every direction possible.

On one occasion, Jaws hovered above her and plunged down on an attempt to gulp her down in one go. Luckily Ariel was quick with her fin and sprung upwards and out of Jaws' range, making it dive through the wooden floor. While Ariel was backing away, the back of her neck hit something cold and hard. Shifting her eyes behind her, she learned that she had hit a rusty curtain rod on the wall. Made of solid and strong metal, Ariel saw her chance here to retaliate. Taking the long object with her bare hands, she yanked the rod off from its position and waited for Jaws to rise up from the lower ground.

Without surprise, Jaws crashed through the floor under where Ariel stood and gaped its mouth open again at her. Ariel waited for the right moment…when she shoved the rod between its jaws, preventing it from closing its mouth completely. Jaws shook around and munched on the rod, trying all it could to get it out of its mouth. Meanwhile, Ariel took her escape by swimming out of the broken window.

Ariel was relieved that she'd gotten out, and now was a good time to head back home. So upwards she swam and across the ship. And just when she thought she was safe from any further harm, Jaws burst out of the ship's deck like molten lava from a volcano and torpedoed at its prey. Ariel took up the pace with haste when she saw the shark opening its jaws once more at her direction. Swimming randomly without thinking or direction, Ariel flapped her fin like the devil and couldn't take a minute to realize that her chase was eventually going to lead her back into the ship.

Jaws kept munching away, only managing to bite plankton or other small fish that got in its path. By keeping close behind Ariel, it purposely lured her back into the haunted ship by leading her into the ship's deck hole. Ariel had no choice by the time this moment came; Jaws was catching up with her and going back inside the ship was perhaps the only method she could somehow conceive if she wanted to loose this persistent shark for good. So she dived down into the hole and found herself lost inside the dark demented corridor. Still aware that Jaws was still on her trail, she reluctantly swam deeper into the blackest shades and prayed that Jaws wouldn't find her.

Unfortunately her strategy didn't quite work. Jaws at full force came through the hole and spotted her first glance with its beady ill-natured eyes. Ariel rushed into the nearest open door she could find…and into a room filled with swords, spears and others sorts of weaponry Ariel was unable to distinguish.

But it seemed like she had found some VERY useful equipment here.

Snatching a wooden shafted spear from a barrel and cornering back against the doorway, Ariel awaited Jaws as she saw its looming shadow make its most unwelcome appearance. She firmly gripped her weapon once it struggled to get through the narrow door, which resultantly led it to forcing to break its way through. And at that precise second, Ariel charged at the creature and rammed her penetrating spear into Jaws' left eye, making a gush of black fluid ooze out onto her face. Jaws roared in hideous rage, shaking violently and toppling everything over. Ariel cleared away the cloud of blood floating in her face and searched the room for a possible exit while her enemy was under irresistible pain.

To her luck, there was one.

Just behind her, was a small porthole. Although she was unsure that even a slim body such as her own would slip through, she had to take this chance or else she would have to face being devoured. Quickly she swam for it, raising her arms up and slipping through the hole easily. But to her utter dismay, Ariel came to a jam when her waist got stuck halfway through.

"No…!" Ariel pushed and shoved with all her might…but it wasn't as easy as she had wished. The porthole had her stuck tight, and she was left vulnerable for attack. "No…I have to get out! I have to get out!"

Back in the ship, Jaws swiped away the spear and became blinded in one eye. That, however, didn't matter because its right eye caught a glimpse of Ariel's green fin sticking out from the porthole some feet away. Jaws took this final opportunity and simply wasn't going to let his food get away. It swam forwards and opened up its mouth, sinking its teeth right into…

"AAAAAAAAAA!" Ariel screamed at the top of her voice when she felt Jaws' teeth puncturing through her scaly fin. The sharp pain rushed through her body like adrenaline, stunning her for a second until she was being pulled back into the ship by Jaws where it wanted her. "NOOO! LET GO! LET GO OF ME!"

Blood leaked out of Ariel's fin as Jaws pulled harder and harder onto it, making her bleed even worse. Ariel arguably continued to push herself out, but it didn't seem to be improving for her benefit. Her waist was being sucked back into the ship, and Ariel's body found it impossible to out power that of Jaws. Within seconds, Ariel was gradually brought back into the shattered weapons room, unready to meet with her impending death.

"HEEEEEEEEEEELP!" Ariel grappled her fingers onto the porthole as a last hope for her salvation. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

Nobody came to help. Her fingers slipped off the porthole she held so dearly on, and Ariel slammed to the floor, scratching her nails onto the wood as Jaws dragged her across, bringing her into the shadows where the two of them could be alone. Ariel's continuous cries for help began to fade out, and it was soon replaced by a cold oceanic silence.

…

"All right, come out!"

Peter Pan shouted across the wide forest grounds of Neverland, floating up in the sky on the quiet moonlit night…tonight happened a tad too quiet though. It was clear to Peter that an unknown presence was lurking beneath the trees and leaves he was surveying. To him it felt most unnatural.

"I said come out…now!"

Nothing came out to turn itself in to Peter, and that only annoyed him. He doubted this was the work of Captain Hook; that bumbling pirate wouldn't be smart enough to pull off a crafty trick like this…not in a million years. There was definitely something here that was never meant to be here.

"Come out, you coward and face me…! Or are you too chicken to come and fight me?"

With that said, Peter's visitor emerged from the trees and elevated up towards the sky until it was floating parallel to him at a distance. Its face dropped down and arms crossed together, the visitor raised its head and opened its eyes, giving Peter an alarming hostile look. Unfolding its arms it let a high pitched screech as its demonic wings ripped out of its coat, displaying them to Peter who fell speechless.

Was it a giant bat? No…it was a hungry demon. But Peter was brave enough and more than eager to risk fighting this evil being. Armed with his trustful dagger, he remained calm and watched the demon deliver him an unfriendly grin. It was obvious that it too was determined to pick a fight against him.

"Okay, you." Peter Pan said to the demon. "Let's see what you've got!"

The Creeper was happy to comply.

…

Author's Note: Oh dear. Looks like the baddies have got the advantage so far. Let's hope our KH pals can do better on the future bouts!

For those who rooted for Ariel, I feel your sorrow. I can understand that Ariel would have been able to outsmart sharks, but Jaws…? I wasn't too sure about that. I love Ariel, but pitting her against Jaws was another hard decision for me to make. Gomen ne!

Next: The Creeper Vs. Peter Pan.

(Bets are always appreciated)


	8. The Creeper Vs Peter Pan

**__**

Thir13en Ghosts

****

By Charles Xavier

…

****

Chapter Seven: The Creeper Vs. Peter Pan

…

Flying low within the greenest forests, Peter Pan raced against the Creeper avoiding leaves and branches that got in their path. Having fought the demon for some time now, Peter was sure that the Creeper was competitive in combat, and that his aerial speed was undeniably equal to that of his own. Considering everything that Peter's faced in life, the Creeper would probably make Captain Hook and his men look like the Lost Boys gone bad…

While the Creeper constantly delivered his bloodthirsty smile at Peter, Peter was getting annoyed…he flew in onto the Creeper and tackled him to the ground. The two landed onto dry soil and pushed each other away. Both rolling back, they stood up and faced each other eye to eye.

Peter swung his dagger at the Creeper, who avoided the attack by stepping back. Peter swung again…again…and again…and so forth but he cut nothing but sheds of the Creepers's coat as it consistently dodged his every move. The Creeper felt this kid in green tights was a laughing joke for him…he had confidence for sure, but compared to it he seemed like a three year old infant swishing a wooden sword senselessly.

Just when the Creeper was about to yawn from this boring fight, Peter made an unexpected turn of events and plunged his dagger right into the Creeper's chest. "GRAAAAA!" The Creeper let out a growl that echoed miles across the trees, and Peter flew back and well away at a long distance to avoid any counter attacks.

"Grrr…"

Watching the Creeper pull out the dagger, Peter looked sharp as it took the stained weapon by its hand and tossed it over to him. Peter ducked his head down and the dagger passed above him, darting into the wooden stump of a tree behind.

"You're going to have to do better than that, pal!"

Peter teased, placing his hands to his ears and wiggling his tongue out. But the Creeper wasn't finished with his move. He crossed his arms and slipped his hands into the inner pockets of his coat. Getting his fingers ready, he flung open his arms and tossed eight of his own hidden daggers at Peter, who was left vulnerable at this moment. Thoughtless that this would occur, Peter was inflicted by ALL the daggers.

"Ugh…"

With every part of his body hit, Peter couldn't move any longer. He fell down to his knees and bobbed his head down to see all his deep wounds…they were so deep that Peter hadn't the energy to pull out any of them as he was loosing blood fast. He then looked up at the Creeper staring down at him in superiority.

"Help me…"

Peter groaned, reaching a hand out half-consciously. The Creeper answered his call of mercy by kneeling down with false sympathy and glanced cravingly at his face, peering into his wonderful two eyes. For the Creeper…they only meant one thing: DELICIOUS. Peter freaked out when he saw the Creeper opening its drooling mouth, displaying its wide collection of white carnivorous teeth.

"No…no…NOOOOOO!"

…

"What have you done with Cid and Aerith?"

Cloud demanded an answer from the ghost he had previously made a deal with: Pinhead. After having watched several fights, including a recent unfortunate moment involving Peter Pan being eaten by the Creeper, Cloud couldn't help realize that his two friends had mysteriously vanished.

"They are…say…preparing." Pinhead answered him in a calm but chilling voice as usual.

"Preparing?"

"Oh, Cloud…how naïve you can be for such a dedicated solider fighting for what you deem right…has it ever occurred to your mind that even your closest friends have been chosen to step into this torturous blood ring? Had you not thought of that before your fellow ones had engaged into these pleasurable battles?"

"I had your word promising the safety of the Princesses, Pinhead. But you never confirmed with me bringing Cid and Aerith into any of your impure madness."

"But YOU never confirmed with me that they should not…that was left unmentioned when we made our deal…must I refresh your memory?"

Pinhead had made a point there, and Cloud was left to cease the argument and let the games continue…unknown of how events were going to turn out.

"By your twisted sense of cunningness and appearances," Cloud commented. "I can obviously say that you're as depraved and demented as one other enemy of mine, of whose name I don't wish to mention."

"No, you need not say, for I already know his identity."

"Hmmm, I thought so."

…

Cid opened his eyes to find himself in a dark noisy factory. Surrounding him were humongous grinders made for chopping up raw meat hung on hooks, consisting of that such as pigs and cows. The place was functioning regularly as any normal factory would, with the exception that nobody was present. This area was mostly unlit, and that made it haunting. Cid couldn't stand the stench that the hair in his nose was capturing.

Exploring around, Cid kept his Venus Gospel in his palms, prepared to accept any given attack. It was then when he stepped into the freezing room, where many of the hanging meat was kept. He heard something unusual…

It was the noise of something pumping, followed by a loud mechanical cacophony of what sounded like…a chainsaw. Cid reached his hand over to the wall to flick on a light switch.

"Huh?"

As the swinging light bulbs turned on, Cid saw that his beliefs were true…because opposite the room stood the insane Leatherface, armed with his deadly chainsaw fueled to its fullest. He was most delighted to take on Cid…who was casually taking a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it with a match.

"Heh! Heh! Heh!" Cid shook his head and chuckled, aiming his weapon at Leatherface and tossing away his match. "Shucks, they just don't get any uglier than this, do they?"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh." Leatherface laughed back at him.

"Bring it on, you turd hole!"

…

Author's Note: I AM aware that many of you had hoped Peter to win this fight. Sorry to shock you guys, but this was a fight I had to decide personally for story plot reasons; but I promise you, there WILL be some Disney/Final Fantasy characters that'll win later on. I'm not going to let the baddies get all the fun, trust me.

As for Riku and Sora, I am still doubtful about their appearance. I don't know if I told you guys this before, but I imagine 'Thir13en Ghosts' taking place roughly during the events of 'Chain of Memories'. So that means Sora and Riku are busy venturing the Castle of Oblivion and so forth while Cloud and the others are fighting off the ghosts. BUT…I might be able to fit the two boys a cameo at some point, maybe…I'm not sure.

Next: Cid Vs. Leatherface.

(Um…bets?)


	9. Cid Vs Leatherface

_**Thir13en Ghosts**_

_**By Charles Xavier**_

…

**Chapter Eight: Cid Vs. Leatherface**

…

"Heh, heh, heh!"

"Come on, ass face!" Cid taunted Leatherface by extending his middle finger at him, which only drove Leatherface fuming with antagonism. "You gonna fight me or what? Bring on that pussy chainsaw of yours!"

Leatherface charged at him with his chainsaw dead ahead. Cid blocked his attack with his Venus Gospel and saved himself from getting his face mangled by his opponent's menacing machine powered weapon. A violent fountain of orange sparks sprouted out between them, flying across the floor but fortunately not into their faces which would have caused either one of them blindness if they weren't careful. Leatherface pushed forwards, making Cid bend his arms as the chainsaw closed in towards him. It seemed more and more likely now that the sparks could hit his eyes any second, possibly blinding him temporarily.

"HAAAH!" No…Cid fought back with aggression . He pushed the chainsaw away and started to draw it towards Leatherface, sweating within his distorted mask. "Have a little taste of this!" And out of his own crude craftiness, he lifted up his foot and rammed it up straight into Leatherface's…

"OOOOOOOOH!"

Leatherface screamed as he grabbed his private parts, rubbing them softly with care and trying to overcome the irresistible pain he was suffering. Cid laughed coarsely at him, blowing out a puff of smoke from his cigarette. "Aw…does that hurt?"

The chainsaw wielder waited no more to be teased any further. He took his chainsaw by one hand and swung it continuously in wild but sloppy manners. Cid carefully dodged his swings by ducking or rolling away, and all Leatherface was able to cut through was the hanging meat that acted as nothing but pointless obstacles for this haunting match. Once Cid saw that he was getting carried away with himself by cutting and swinging his chainsaw randomly, he grabbed the nearest hanging piece of cow meat as big as a punching bag, and drove it into Leatherface's ghastly face. Leatherface jerked backwards from the hit, while Cid jumped out to confront him again.

Whacking him a few times more with his powerful spear, Cid finished his attack by thrusting the head of his Venus Gospel straight into Leatherface's stomach. The weapon penetrated through him and came out through his back with a crackling sound. Leatherface dropped his chainsaw and held dearly onto the Venus Gospel stuck into him. While he was screaming in more torment, Cid was generous enough to assist him. He took his right boot and kicked the butt of the weapon deeper into the killer's organs.

Soon Leatherface was out of breath, and he fell sideways to the ground.

"Huh." Cid threw down his cigarette and squished it under his boot, snorting out: "Some mother fucker's always trying to ice skate uphill." **(1)**

With Leatherface defeated, Cid turned his back and whistled his way out for the door. Entertaining himself with his own musical tunes, he didn't bother to listen for any other noises that might have sounded suspicious or strange to him. It was rare that he had often won a one-to-one fight with any enemy before. So Cid smiled at himself and laughed with elation.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ugh…!"

That laugh ended pretty quickly though. For as his hand reached out for the door, Cid felt something long and metallic pierce through his back and burst out through his chest; it was his Venus Gospel. An awake Leatherface stood behind him, having taken Cid's weapon and used it against him. "Heh, heh, heh!" Leatherface was the one laughing now. He took a few steps back as Cid slowly turned around to face him, reaching his quivering hands out in an effort to strangle him by the neck…

"You…cheeky…son of a…b…"

Cid fell forwards and died before finishing his last sentence.

…

Dark inside a gothic gloomy church, the Beast strode angrily along a red carpet, towards the young gentleman standing in front of the candle lit altar, as if expecting him most promptly. Standing up straight with his gloved hands behind his back, the gentleman appeared as a fine man with shoulder length hair that was black as the feathers of a nocturnal raven. His blood stained eyes were concealed within the pair of black lenses which he wore. He was dressed formally in a polished silver tuxedo, topped off with a fancy top hat that was slanted slightly to one side.

"I don't usually expect visitors in zhe middle of zhe night." Count Dracula said politely to the Beast advancing with growing rage. "But…I see zhat you in particular are in grave need…I believe you have someone you are…in search of?"

"Where's Belle?" The Beast asked him boldly without fear.

"Belle? Belle…?" Dracula pondered in his head…until a mocking grin surfaced on his face. "Ah…Belle! You must be after one of zhose…how you say…Heart Princesses, no?"

"Tell me where she is…" The Beast warned him. "…and I promise that you will not suffer under my bare hands."

"I am afraid zhat iz not possible. And I feel your blood circulating faster than usual, iz it not?" Dracula patronized him on purpose, getting him on his very nerve. "I feel zhat you are willing to risk life and limb for zhat precious girl of yours, vhich tells me zhat you are most ready to die."

"TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!" The Beast gave a shout that shook the candles in the church. He pounced at Dracula and picked him up by his collars. He roared monstrously in his face and threw him over to the wooden benches. "GET UP, YOU!" He yelled at him, but Dracula was laying calmly on the ground buried under a few pieces of broken wood. He rose up to his feet unharmed and lowered his lenses at the Beast.

"You…should have not have angered me, my friend."

Dracula hissed hatefully when he suddenly went into his process of transformation. His teeth began to extend and sharpen, his skin began to change dramatically, his hands and feet outgrew from his gloves and shoes and revealed his terrible talons and claws, his body expanded as he ripped out of his tearing clothes, a pair of demonic wings burst out from his back, and his hat fell off when his head reshaped into a bat-like creature. When his transformation was complete, he glanced over at the Beast and snarled grotesquely at him.

The Beast, unafraid, growled in return to face Count Dracula, now in his most beastly form.

…

**(1)** Can you guess where I got that line from? (winks)

Author's Note: Yikes! So many reviews…thanks, you guys!

I know…a lot of you wanted Cid to win, but again this fight was decided for storyline reasons. I'm not against Cid, and I honestly think he's an awesome fighter. So please don't flame me!

Next: The Beast Vs. Count Dracula

(Need I say that magic word…bets?)


	10. The Beast Vs Count Dracula

Author's Note: Just to make it clear: NO! I am NOT using the Count Dracula from 'Van Helsing' (an awful movie). This is the Count Dracula from Francis Ford Coppola's film.

Well, as Mills Lane would say in 'Celebrity Deathmatch': "LET'S GET IT ON!"

…

**__**

Thir13en Ghosts

**__**

By Charles Xavier

…

****

Chapter Nine: The Beast Vs. Count Dracula

…

"RWOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRR!"

The Beast ran and leapt onto Dracula, aiming his claws onto his scowling face. Dracula caught him by the neck with one hand, however, and started to strangle him with ease. The Beast chocked as Dracula squeezed and squeezed, until his enemy threw him aside. The Beast smashed into a confession box, knocking it over.

"GRRR!" Dracula growled as he saw the Beast climbing out from the wreckage. The Beast leapt at him again, this time landing onto his chest with success. Dracula jerked backwards and fell over, knocking over a giant statue of a damned angel, which shattered into pieces when it struck the ground. Still loaded with anger, the Beast pounded Dracula with his sharp claws and powerful teeth, sinking all of them deep into Dracula's skin making him bleed. But Dracula did not wish to be beaten, and when the Beast slashed him across his face, leaving a big mark on him… "YAAARGGH!"

Dracula bent his knees and placed his feet onto the Beast's stomach, catapulting him away. The Beast ended up falling onto the altar, the impact was so critical that the Beast discovered soon enough that he was bleeding behind his head. Nevertheless, the Beast still had enough strength to fight on.

Seeing Dracula striding forwards, the Beast noticed a tall marble basin by his side, only a few steps away. It contained a large amount of water…but the Beast knew this wasn't any ordinary kind of water, it was holy water. Just his ticket to possibly winning this fight. So the Beast went onto his fours and quickly ran to the basin before Dracula could grab hold of him. He took the basin with his hands and hurled the holy water all over Dracula's body.

"YAAAAAARGGH!" The holy water splashed onto him and sizzled him like burning concentrated acid. The water began to evaporate away into smoke quickly while it ate away Dracula's muscular skin in a short matter of time. Now left defenseless, the Beast walked away picking up a crucifix from the alter, and splintered the end of it. He returned to Dracula, still suffering from the holy water, and drilled the crucifix straight into the center of his heart.

"AAACKK!" Dracula coughed out as he looked down to see to see his heart penetrated by the crucifix sticking out of him. His hands trembled and he stepped away from the altar. His eyes went out of focus and his skin turned to white. He was loosing blood fast, and his power was being drained. The Beast stood back and well away from him, watching him endure a slow painful death. "CURSE YOU…ACKKK!"

With his eyes still open, Dracula collapsed to one side and gurgled his last source of breath before kicking the bucket. The Beast carefully walked over to his dead body, and let out a deep sigh. "I've had my share of living as a monster too. I guess that makes two of us now."

…

Deep down in the darkest catacombs of ancient Egypt, Aladdin was being chased by a sea of blue scarab beetles, all craving to have a nibble on his flesh. The young adventurer ran as fast as the wind, waving his flaming torch at the fowl-tempered man-eating insects, screeching at him every so often. Trapped in this endless maze, Aladdin rolled his eyes everywhere, seeking for any possible exit that could lead him out of this mindless pursuit.

His prayer was answered, but not as what he had hoped. Unaware of where he was stepping into, Aladdin suddenly fell through the sandy floor, vanishing from the scarab beetles. The scarab beetles stopped when they clearly saw what happened to him, and immediately fled in fear.

…

Minutes passed, and Aladdin woke up from his nasty fall…

"Ow…what a fall." He moaned, opening his eyes. He found himself inside an underground Egyptian shrine, where coins and other unique objects made of pure gold lay piled like mountains of sand. On the walls were various carvings of Pharaohs and their armies of the history's past. Aladdin was slightly spooked to see other carvings of the scarab beetles he encountered not so long ago.

Standing up, he saw that he was in the middle of a fighting ring. But the eerie thing was, was that the place seemed completely desolate…until he heard somebody breathing behind him.

Spinning round, Aladdin came face to face with the high priest Imhotep. Staring at him sternly and examining his physical appearance, Imhotep knew that this was the right man who had come to combat against him. With an impious smile, he reached for an Arabian sword in his dark cloak that covered his whole body, and kindly threw it on the floor and over to Aladdin.

Confused but willing to accept Imhotep's kind offer, Aladdin picked up the sword and pointed it at him.

"(Let's see how good you really are, street rat!)"

Imhotep spoke in a dialect that Aladdin couldn't understand, but it was certain that this man wasn't going to let him go without a fight, and if it was a fight he wanted, then it was a fight he was going to get. As Imhotep stepped forward into the ring, he removed his cloak, unveiling his ritually tattooed body.

"Who the…?" Aladdin had no idea who he was facing, but he sensed death written all over the priest. And that would be something he'd encounter if he didn't look sharp now.

Imhotep stretched his arms and rolled his neck. When ready, he beckoned his hand at Aladdin.

…

Author's Note: Whee! Thank you again for all your lovely reviews! I understand that the baddies are still winning by a mile right now, but don't fret! There's still more to come!

Next: Aladdin Vs. Imhotep

(B-E-T-S!)


	11. Aladdin Vs Imhotep

**__**

Thir13en Ghosts

By Charles Xavier

…

****

Chapter Ten: Aladdin Vs. Imhotep

…

Armed with only a scimitar, Aladdin was unsure what Imhotep had in store for him. From his ghastly appearance, it wouldn't seem by any chance nice or even anything related to it. Circling the ring, both men were eager to survive the outcome of this soon-to-be vicious fight. With the fire torches set alight into bursting flames by Imhotep, he taunted Aladdin maliciously to make him feel provoked.

"(What are you waiting for? Strike me with whatever worthless strength you have!)"

Aladdin was eager to follow; he attacked him when he ran and pulled his scimitar back ready to get a clean slice off across his neck. Imhotep's eyes kept fixed onto the motion of the bent blade, and so when Aladdin did strike, Imhotep prevented his loss of a head by grabbing a hand securely onto the weapon. Aladdin pushed inwards to get the scimitar moving from his grasp. But like a boy with a toy, Imhotep smirked devilishly and shifted the pointy object carefully away from him.

"Who…are you?" Aladdin asked, but got his just answer at once. Imhotep swung a fist into his face, followed by a drilling kick into his stomach. Aladdin almost threw up by the impact of his powerful foot, but sadly that wasn't the finish. Imhotep made his third blow by delivering a bone crushing uppercut, sending Aladdin flying backwards.

"UGGGHHH!"

Aladdin was lucky enough to have none of his bones broken, unlike some foolish individuals who dared to challenge Imhotep in the past. With the scimitar still in his hand, he rose without severe wounds.

Confronting Imhotep again, he was about to spring towards him. But by the moment he jumped off the ground, Aladdin's body became paralyzed. Imhotep, with the tricks from his black magic, froze Aladdin in mid-air.

"What…!"

Aladdin tried to move his arms, but they wouldn't budge. He tried shaking his legs, but they were too numb. He rolled his eyes over to Imhotep, who raised his hand and clenched his fist at him as if he was squeezing the juice out of an orange. Aladdin's neck started to enclose by itself and the force grew stronger, choking him to his near death. Imhotep tightened his fist to make him beg for mercy.

Aladdin spoke nothing.

Imhotep came closer, still with his hand raised. He gazed up at the scruffy boy with no remorse, and watched him die slowly under his unbreakable control. However, Aladdin was still wriggling his legs, shaking them out of Imhotep's spell soon enough sans him knowing. Hence, Imhotep didn't expect a kick in the face when Aladdin broke free at last and dropped back down to the ground.

"OOOF!" Imhotep received quite the kicking, and wasn't able to save himself when Aladdin took immediate action and sliced him across his torso. "HAAAAAAAAR!"

Aladdin stepped back, hoping to watch his enemy die quickly. But it was a shame that he knew nothing about the Egyptian priest; instead of seeing bloody organs reek out from his body, it neatly assembled back together like two opposite magnetic poles. Speechless, Aladdin didn't quite know what to do next. His scimitar proved useless, now that he had learned that cutting him had no effect. And that made Imhotep take charge from here…again.

Gathering air into his mouth, Imhotep puffed out a mighty gust of a sandstorm, blowing Aladdin straight out of the ring and onto a giant sand bed. Aladdin was unhurt from the fall, though he noticed that his scimitar had slipped out of his hand and was nowhere to be found by reach. Imhotep teleported over to the edge of the ring in his sandy form to watch him take time to recover.

Imhotep offered him no chance to do that. With a despicable grimace, he unleashed a trap door under Aladdin's feet. "AAAAAA!" Aladdin slid down a dark narrow chute, splashing into a pit infested with mountain nests of scarab beetles.

"No! Get me out! GET ME OUT!" Aladdin pleaded to Imhotep, who was peering down at him. He took amusement in seeing him squirm his last few words before getting swallowed up and gobbled to the bone by the tiny pests. And like a piece of hanging meat munched by a swarm of angry piranhas, there was little trace of Aladdin left when eating time had finished.

"(Pathetic.)" Imhotep snorted.

…

High upon the snowiest mountains of China, Evil Ash and his Army of Darkness had set up a camping post. Intending to explore and of course annihilate the people living at the lower grounds of the country, Evil Ash was confident to find challenges in this heavy task. In fact, he already had someone to take on; for his men had managed to kidnap a Chinese soldier to become their prisoner…

Outside of their camp in the snowy fields, the Army of Darkness were gathering round in a circle for yet another death round to begin…Evil Ash appeared in his shredded blood cape, skeletal armor and skull carved helmet. His opponent, a young timid girl, was forced by certain death to meet the army's proudest leader.

"You've got a lot of guts for sticking out on me, girl! But I like that!" Evil Ash patrolled left and right, eyeing the female soldier several feet away from him. "What did you say your name was again?"

"My name is Hua Mulan." She answered in a fearless voice. "I'm serving my country to protect my people against the Huns and the horrible likes of you!"

The Army of Darkness chorused in sheer laughter at the girl's spunk, and Evil Ash couldn't help but join in with them.

"MWA! HA! HA! HAAA! You're good for a gal of your age!" Evil Ash cackled. "But are you good enough to draw swords against me!"

Evil Ash whipped out a silvery pair of polished twin swords from their sheaths attached to his back. He aimed them menacingly at Mulan, delivering her a nasty grin. Mulan bravely took out her father's ancient sword, passed down from many generations.

Adjusting her armor but left helmet-less, Mulan positioned herself into a stance and braced for what was to come, saying to Evil Ash: "I'm ready."

…

Author's Note: Intentionally, I was going to have Captain Jack Sparrow (The Pirates of the Caribbean) duke it out with Evil Ash. But I always wondered whether Evil Ash could handle somebody who has an understanding in the Martial Arts…so that's kind of how Mulan came in! (smiles) Looks like I'm going to really give you a big surprise when I unveil the 13th Ghost! You guys can keep guessing, but I highly doubt anyone will know who it is! (winks)

Next: Evil Ash Vs. Mulan

(Pick your side…I got kind of tired of saying 'bets' all the time).


	12. Evil Ash Vs Mulan

"_You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You're in one."_

Captain Barbarossa

"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"

…

_**Thir13en Ghosts**_

_**By Charles Xavier**_

…

**Chapter Eleven: Evil Ash Vs. Mulan**

…

Skeletons cheered for their master, getting warmed up to face Mulan one-to-one. Evil Ash swung his swords and clashed them together, growling at her with his distorted set of teeth. Mulan was not amused, and actually paid no attention to his showing-off-his-skills routine. She took her time instead kneeling down and praying to her ancestors…

"Ancestors, please guide me." Mulan whispered, despite all the rowdiness of her impolite audience. "Help me to vanquish these wicked spirits and prevent their horrible deeds upon our lands."

"Come on!" Evil Ash yelled with impatience. "This ain't no time to for any weird chit-chat to yourself! Get up from there and face me, you maggot!"

Mulan did not answer and simply ignored him.

"All right, wise girl!" Evil Ash, as unfair as he often was, attempted to strike Mulan while she was in prayers. He marched over to her with his heavy boots and drew his swords high. "RAAAAAAAAA!"

Mulan took up her sword at once and blocked Evil Ash's cheap attack, just right after finishing her prayers. "It's not wise to attack a girl when she is praying." She said, shoving her enemy away. From her crouching position, she performed a back-flip landing onto her two feet. She waved her sword at Evil Ash, who only laughed at her for fun.

"HA! HA! HAAA! You better start praying for mercy when I'm finished with you!"

Whirling his swords round as fast as a windmill would blow, Evil Ash came at it again with Mulan. Mulan took defense, blocking his severe-striking blows and evaded swipes that swung above her head or near her waist. Slowly Evil Ash stepped forth while Mulan was forced to back up, eventually bringing her to the sharp edge of a towering cliff. As the Army of Darkness followed and saw Evil Ash taking the lead, they were predicting a bitter end to Mulan very soon.

But Mulan was not ready to meet her impending fate that quickly. When she saw a correct moment to fight back, she swiped her sword at Evil Ash's face. Evil Ash crossed his swords and succeeded in protecting himself. "OOOH! SCARY!" He smirked crudely at her.

Mulan withdrew her attack and jumped over Evil Ash as he was about to slash her again, making him the one nearest to the edge of the cliff and therefore nearer to a falling death. Seeing that this wasn't a good sign, Evil Ash quitted toying with Mulan any further.

"HEEYA!"

A shame he didn't think of that earlier. For by the second he turned around to face her, Mulan swung her body and kicked one of his swords out of his hand. The knocked off sword took a flight off the cliff, clattering down below into the darkening unknown. Evil Ash, still armed with one sword, resumed the fight without anymore of his smart aleck cheekiness.

"YAAR!"

Evil Ash pounded Mulan with his single sword with impulse. Mulan, remembering what she had learned from General Shang's fighting lessons in the army camps, kept calm and sturdily handled the dead general with a clear and focused mind. Through her observations on his body movements, she discovered a vulnerable spot on Evil Ash; his waist.

When a chance came for Mulan to strike, she sliced her sword across Evil Ash's torso.

"Ugh…" Evil Ash froze solid as felt something cold cut clear through his body. Staring mindlessly into Mulan's eyes, he could tell that this victory wasn't going to be his. He could no longer feel his legs and so was weak to resist Mulan's next move.

"HEEYA!" Mulan jumped and roundhouse kicked Evil Ash off the cliff to face his sheer drop. In his moments of descent, Evil Ash looked up at Mulan hatefully, waving his arms while his body detached into two and separated.

With their leader slain, the Army of Darkness were left defenseless and uncertain of what to do next. The intrepid Mulan shone her sword at them, showing them that she was unafraid to take them all on at once. But after watching how well she defeated Evil Ash, none of them dared to even take one step towards her. And cowardly as they had become, the Army of Darkness fled in pronounced fear. Discarding their armor and weapons, they ran away from Mulan, who was shocked to see how yellow the skeletons were in facing a girl.

"Hmph!"

Mulan sheathed back her sword and crossed her arms with a shaking head; she almost felt insulted.

…

Aerith never liked living in Midgar's filthy slums when remembering back to her days where she sold flowers to strangers that crossed her path. But there she was, strolling across the empty streets of this dark polluting city. With heavy showers pouring down, Aerith's clothes became wet in merely seconds and she was afraid of catching a bad cold any given time.

"Hello?" Aerith called out, while the thunder roared back in her unwelcome presence. "Hello? Is there anybody here?"

Lost and confused, Aerith couldn't explain why she was back in Midgar…alone. Her cries echoed throughout the flooded streets, but nothing was returned in her response. Electrical lamp posts were neatly placed among the brick sidewalks in straight rows, undisturbed cars were parked in their suited spaces, and Midgar couldn't have been more calm in this atmosphere…could it?

"_(Come.)"_

A cold and eerie voice whispered into her ear.

Aerith undoubtedly followed the voice into a nearby courtyard, which felt disturbingly familiar to her when she entered it. And no wonder, it was the in fact the same courtyard where she had her first encounter with Cloud and sold him a flower…

The jade-lit fountain in the center was still sprouting alive with water even under this overwhelming rain. Lamp posts here were flickering on and off every so often which gave Aerith discomfort. At the same time blue sparks burst out from the lose telephone cables from above, making her jump in fright. The storm grew more aggressive, as the voice called to Aerith again. This time it became more distinct; it was somebody speaking out from the depths of the fountain.

"_(Come.)"_

With her staff equipped in case of danger, Aerith crept towards the fountain to inspect who or what was calling her. But what she didn't expect to witness a pale-stricken hand, which suddenly arose from the unclear water. Recoiling back, Aerith watched in horror as a skinny teenaged girl in a snowy dress climb out of the fountain like a creature from bowels of Hell. Collapsing to the floor sloppily, the girl rose onto her bare feet with long strands of brunette hair dangling down to her waist. Her hair was so long that it was difficult for Aerith to distinguish her obscured face.

Sadako Yamamura approached Aerith, crackling the bones inside her crooked shoulders to adjust them correctly. She lifted her face at her and Aerith, distressed by the sight, caught a glimpse of her foreboding eyes behind her strands of hair.

"_(Die now!)"_

The female ghost hissed in her ghastly Japanese tongue.

…

Author's Note: May I stress out again that Sadako and Samara are NOT the same person, because despite their similarities, their characters and backgrounds are quite different from each other. Swear.

Well, I've said it before, you can keep guessing guys. But chances you'll actually figure it out are looking mighty slim.

Next: Aerith Vs. Sadako

(Pick your side…I suggest maybe watching 'Ring 0: Birthday', which is a prequel to 'Ringu'. Quite the spine-chilling film if you want to learn more about Sadako's dark history)


	13. Aerith Vs Sadako

_Drip…drip…drip._

"_(AAAAIIIIIII!)"_

_Drip…drip…drip._

"_(HELP MEEEEE!)"_

_She had completely lost track of time in knowing how long she had been screaming in her damned prison. Only the quiet calm water in this cylindrical well was the only thing that kept Sadako any company. Scratching her overgrown nails on the stony walls, she tried to climb up but it was of no use._

"_I have been waiting here for you, Sadako Yamamura."_

_She felt the warm breath of his voice at the back of her neck. Spinning round to see who her ghostly guest was, she came face to face with the cenobite Pinhead, looking most pleased to meet her in person._

"_(Who…who are you?")_

"_An explorer in the further regions of experience._ _A demon to some. An angel to others. You have found me. Now you must come with us…to taste our pleasures and devour the hearts that we choose best."_

"_(Are you here to take me away from this dark torment?)"_

"_Come." Pinhead offered his hand to her. "Take my hand and I will give you a life that you could never dream of…a life beyond any limits…a life beyond any mortality."_

_Regardless of being unfamiliar with her short-made friend and unsure whether he was bluffing, she realized the clear opportunity she had upon her. So Sadako took Pinhead's hand with approval. And with an impressed smile, Pinhead said:_

"_You have chosen well, my dear. I am most pleased."_

…

_**Thir13en Ghosts**_

_**By Charles Xavier**_

…

**Chapter Twelve: Aerith Vs. Sadako**

…

"Who are you?" Aerith kept her guard from the ghost lunging at her antagonistically. "What do you want from me?"

"_(Shut up.)"_ Sadako said in her macabre voice. "_(What I want is none of your damn business! All you need to do now is die!")_

With sheer force, Sadako lifted Aerith off her feet by her neck without raising her hands. Aerith choked and dropped her staff, clutching for breath. She was then thrown back with violent aggression and smacked to the wall, tipping over a couple of garbage cans when she collapsed back down to the floor.

Unhurt from the first attack, Aerith got up quickly when Sadako was plotting her next move: the garbage cans' lids were elevated, hovering high above Aerith's head like two space saucers. Knowing what might happen if she didn't act fast, Aerith dashed and ran for her staff laying in a shallow puddle several feet away.

As she ran, Sadako ordered the lids to drop down and slice Aerith's head off. But before they could reach their target, Aerith ducked and the lids collided with a loud clash. Aerith slid and grabbed her staff. Rolling back onto her feet, she began to cast Great Gospel onto herself. A pity…for she was left vulnerable for Sadako to easily cancel it for her. With another stroke of energy, Sadako pushed Aerith back again only harder. Aerith smashed through the courtyard's wall and splashed back into the rain-clogged streets.

"Uhn…"

Aerith rubbed her aching head while making her gradual recovery. Sadako stepped out onto the road and waited for her to rise again. And this time she was happy to give her more of a punishing. Stopping in the middle of the street, she summoned two cars to levitate off the ground. Aerith saw what more trouble she was encountering, and with her instincts she took flight and leaped aside when the hurling cars came crashing towards her. They missed only by an inch and one of them struck an electric lamp post, loosening its stance.

Aerith noticed how much high voltage ran through the lamp by studying its gleaming brightness. Thanks to the car's impact, it almost seemed that the post could fall if it could be knocked down. And Aerith was no fool in understanding how conductive water could be when in contact with electricity…especially in such wet weather as this.

Sadako drew closer to Aerith, still determined to kill her with her psycho-physical powers she had left. Aerith, laying on the floor pretending to be crippled, waited for her to shift closer to the loose post beside her. Once Sadako was in range, Aerith swung her staff and whacked the post as hard as she could. She leapt again, off the street and onto the sidewalk, just in time before the post fell like fresh cut timber. The lamp smashed onto the street, sending an overwhelming amount of electricity through the water and right into Sadako's fragile bones.

"YAAAA!"

Sadako screamed when every blood vessel in her sparked-shaken body burst. It wasn't until she literally lit into flames when it was for sure that she had to accept defeat from the flower girl. Aerith watched in alarm as Sadako continued to cry in anguish. But as the rain poured down on her, the fire was put out, and Sadako was left as a blackened figure in ash. And unable to walk or even use her powers anymore, she dropped with a great splatter.

Aerith in wariness advanced towards Sadako, sizzled on the street like burned toast. Rolling her head and adjusting her eyes to hers, her arms were still twitching as she tried to reach out for Aerith, perhaps begging for her mercy…?

"_(Go on…kill me.)"_

She reached a hand over to Aerith's staff and settled it on top of her beating heart. Aerith was surprised to see how Sadako was willing to give up to her after the fight so easily. It made her feel all too dubious about what she should do next.

"_(Kill me, you old hag! You've beaten me!)"_ Sadako cursed at Aerith with detestation. "_(I don't deserve to live the rest of my life like this!)"_

Aerith hardly knew of Sadako's tragic life before. But she had a disturbing sixth sense that Sadako wasn't always so despising as this…seeing her hateful but innocent face brought Aerith regret.

"I don't know what happened, or who created you into this…horror." Aerith said to her with her sorrow. "But I have a feeling that you were human before, weren't you?"

Sadako's snare transformed into her once human expression of innocence. A flow of inevitable guilt ran through her mind of those she'd killed, while memories of those who valued and those who undervalued her flashed before her eyes. And when it had come to the end, Sadako ultimately shook in disgrace and replied to Aerith: "_(Those days are over for me…it's far too late to go back to being that girl I used to be.)"_

"I understand…"

Aerith whispered tenderly with a sigh…with all her might, she raised her staff and plunged it straight into Sadako's heart. And without another scream, Sadako shut her eyes, falling into her eternal slumber.

…

"And so ends Sadako Yamamura." Pinhead commented, watching the fight end with a dramatic finish. "What a pity it was that she truly didn't understand the pure essence of being a ghost…but nonetheless, her death won't concern us as much as I am aware."

"What are you talking about?" Cloud said.

While the princesses were still chained up, and unhurt as promised, they were too unconscious to notice the room mutating into something far worse than what it currently seemed. Cloud felt the ground shaking under his boots when he saw that Pinhead was altering the very setting they were in.

The room expanded wider and wider, revealing much more of the forsaken torturous chamber. Chains were lifted high up to the ceiling along with the princesses, spine pillars rose from the floor spiraling with human skulls, iron maidens appeared on the walls, a giant swinging pendulum swung across the space between Cloud and Pinhead, and a dark moat formed around where they stood creating a combat ring.

"It is time to finally taste your flesh, Cloud." Pinhead said. "I must admit that I had underestimated your allies…but heed my words: your suffering will be legendary, even among hell!"

Cloud armed himself with his buster sword, knowing somehow that fate had brought him to this fight until death. And if he was able to take victory in this round, then he knew that Pinhead would not win…and neither would he.

…

Author's Note: I'm finally convinced that nobody can guess the 13th Ghost. So maybe you guys should just wait until the time comes…

Next: Cloud Vs. Pinhead

(I first thought about Maleficent fighting Pinhead…but hell! This is a fight I've always wanted to do! An human against an inhuman…a clouded warrior against a vile torturer…an ex-SOLDIER against a lead Cenobite…who will win?)


	14. Cloud Vs Pinhead

_**Thir13en Ghosts**_

_**By Charles Xavier**_

…

**Chapter Thirteen: Cloud Vs. Pinhead**

…

The stage was set, and Cloud was fearless to face the diabolical cenobite, Pinhead. Unbeknownst of what twisted black magic he could conjure up, Cloud took a step forward ready to sprint at his enemy with his sword. Pinhead was cunning enough to be aware of his next move, and at once summoned a dozen hooked chains from every direction to grapple Cloud's vulnerable body.

Cloud halted when the chains burst out from the ceiling and ground like vicious serpents. Shooting right towards him, Cloud evaded them and chopped down as many as he could. Untouched and still with breath, he eliminated all of the attacks and it made Pinhead mightily pleased; Cloud was more of an experienced SOLDIER than he had foreseen.

"Very good, I must say." Pinhead smiled. "But surely this is not your best. Let us see if you can truly outmatch the most powerful cenobite in all of hell!"

Cloud didn't have time to listen to his needless words. He leapt and swung his sword at him, but Pinhead grabbed the tip with his two hands and tossed the sword aside from Cloud's reach. Pinhead then pressed his hand onto Cloud's stomach, throwing him back with great force to the edge of the ring, just an inch away from the steaming moat of boiling acid.

Pinhead took his next move; raising his hands, he called upon the spine pillars and lifted them off from the ground. Pointing his hands at Cloud, the pillars began to spin faster as they were flung towards him one by one. Ducking and rolling as he did, Cloud nonetheless received a few severe cuts which shredded his clothes. Yet still, he was still standing.

"Ha! Ha! Haaaaaa!"

Pinhead's torture was far from over there. The iron maidens suddenly burst open their doors, spitting out multiple spikes sharp enough to shoot right through his stomach and out of his back. Surrounded by them, Cloud tried to find a solution to escape from this gruesome death. Raising his eyes to the swinging pendulum, a chance surfaced.

By the second the pendulum swung in his way, Cloud jumped for it and held onto the rope while the spikes collided with each other, missing him altogether. Pinhead saw him hanging on the pendulum as it constantly swung back and forth.

"Impressive, Cloud. Most impressive."

He heard something screeching in the shadows. Cloud couldn't believe it when he saw three metal disks flying at him at uncontrollable speeds. With their serrated edges, they were liable to wound Cloud more fatally than what he had endured already during this fight. Unable to avoid them, the disks sliced him across his arm, across his chest and across his leg causing them to bleed deeply. Losing his grip on the rope, Cloud fell back down to the ring. Trying to get up from his fall, he was then sliced across his back by the pendulum when it passed behind him. The pain was unbearable now that Cloud collapsed to the floor weary.

"Uhn…"

"Can't you hear it, Cloud?" Pinhead said. "The sound of razors through your flesh? Oh…I can, and I will certainly enjoy your eternal company here. Witness the sufferings of your friends before your very eyes, and listen to the deafening agonizing cries of the princesses. My…it will be a such a melodious tune…AH! HA! HA! HA! HAAAAAA!"

Cloud's buster sword was laying only a inch apart from his hand. And while Pinhead was cackling away, he grabbed his weapon in time before he finished. Gathering up all his last sources of strength left, Cloud got up and grasped his sword, ready to prepare his final attack…

"Wrong." Cloud shouted. "It's time for you to endure your own suffering!"

"AAAAA!"

Cloud's sword reflected golden rays of light to Pinhead's eyes, blinding him. Ready to unleash all his furious energy, Cloud executed his strongest limit break: the Omnislash. Tearing him up like an untamed animal, Cloud's grisly combo was unstoppable even for Pinhead. But…Cloud was only warming up for the final blow. For he leapt up high above Pinhead, raising his sword above his head, and struck it down with enormous power.

"Ack…!"

With Pinhead's stricken expression, a thin line developed from the tip of his head, traveling down his face and down to the bottom of his body. With sheds of blood leaking from his giant cut, Pinhead cracked open splitting into two halves.

"This game ends now."

…

Author's Note: I know, it's a short chapter. I've been relaxing this summer rather than writing a lot on the Internet. So excuse me for the lack of updates.

Next: The Thirteenth Ghost

(If you still want to guess, this is your last chance…the final battle is drawing nearer)


	15. The Thirteenth Ghost

**__**

An Extract from the Diary of Ansem

…

I have heard several stories of an isolated community in a distant land where the children of the townspeople were reported to have slaughtered their parents . One boy, I have been told, had supposedly led the children into committing these acts, claiming that the blood of adults should be sacrificed to the corn fields. Whereas it was believed home to a shapeless, malevolent entity that has resided there for centuries.

Further study and research has made me to believe that this could likely be the Thirteenth Ghost. And although its true name is never spoken, the children who worship it refer it as nothing else but 'He Who Walks Behind The Rows'. It has been known, as I had predicted, to have the ability to shift forms to fool his enemies, and on occasions take possession of humans as its hosts.

However, the identity of the boy who had guided his believers to 'He Who Walks Behind The Rows' has yet to be discovered…

…

**__**

Thir13en Ghosts

By Charles Xavier

…

****

Chapter Fourteen: The Thirteenth Ghost

…

With the defeat of Pinhead, Cloud had hoped that the cenobite's victims would be freed. And indeed, the princesses once chained by his black forces, were settled to the ground and were released unhurt. Cloud rushed to them all, helping them to regain their consciousness and to stand on their feet. He had suspected possible foul play by Pinhead, even after his demise. But fortunately, there was no need for such those worries. The princesses were well…and none of them had been touched.

"Kairi…?"

However, Princess Kairi was not seen anywhere. This disturbed Cloud gravely as he searched through the empty chamber, and to no grand success, he found no trace of her. Where could she have gone?

It then came ot his his mind that this fight wasn't in fact over…just before fighting Pinhead, it struck to him that even if he had won, this deadly competition would not be resolved. For there was still one more match to go…and it seemed that Kairi couldn't have been taken by anyone else, but the Thirteenth Ghost itself.

"KAIRI!"

…

Kairi gasped and lifted her eyes, waking up in the chilly outskirts of a ghostly town. Her body shivered by the coldness of the wind as she rose. Surrounding her in a circular ring were what seemed like endless fields of corn, rustling and echoing voices of children giggling and singing in harmony. But Kairi was not feeling happy at all…this mystical place was making her stomach churn, and she didn't know why she was brought here in the first place, or even who was responsible for that.

"S-Sora…?" She called out for anyone she could think of. "Riku…? Is anybody there…? Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, help me!"

"They can't hear you from here. No one can."

A childish voice uttered from her back. Kairi turned to see who the stranger was; he was a young boy of perhaps Sora's age, dressed all in black clothing, wearing a preacher's hat, and wielding a giant scythe that stretched a small fraction above his height. With his dark eyed glare upon her, he looked like a youthful disguise for the Grim Reaper. Though Kairi had a gut feeling inside of her that he was much worse than Death…

"You…you were the one who brought me to this place!"

The boy bowed to her in a courteous manner. "Say no more, your words are indeed true. I am the one responsible for taking you here to this…most bleak surrounding. I hope you enjoy it."

Kairi shook her head in annoyance and demanded to hear answers.

"Just who are you? And why have you brought me here?" She spoke, crossed with her eerie friend.

"My name is Chroner…Isaac Chroner." The boy replied meekly. "And you, dear Princess, have been chosen to fight the last battle against me…to the death"

Kairi stepped back when the wind around her blew more aggressively and the cornfields rustled louder.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid to face me, Princess Kairi?"

With dartk forces of energy gathering within the boy's body, his innocent and humble voice began to gradually break into a deeper, inhuman and Mephistophelian voice. His blackened eyes became lit with brightness and glowed with fiery red flames. And as he smiled wickedly at Kairi, he let out a most vile cackle.

"EH! HA! HA! HA! HA! HAAAAA!" It's good to be afraid, with fear flowing inside your blood, and into your tender heart!"

For a flash, Kairi caught a glimpse of the demonic entity floating above him.Then she realized that she was facing a young boy, possessed by the Thirteenth Ghost itself: He Who Walks Behind The Rows.

Swinging his scythe and gripping it firm in his hands, Isaac aimed it at Kairi and spoke further: _"There is no running away, my dear! Your blood will be shed among these fields…your screams will heard among your friends…and all your hearts will belong to me, heed that!"_

Kairi stopped moving back and stood her ground.

__

"COME! IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO FINALLY FACE YOUR DEATH IN MY HANDS NOW…PRINCESS KAIRI!"

…

Author's Note: I might have beefed up Isaac a bit, mainly because I thought he was a wimp in the movies he was in. Oh, and if you don't know who Isaac Chroner is, I suggest you Google it. You shouldn't have any problems finding his name.

Next: Isaac Vs. Kairi

(The fate of Kairi and the princesses will be decided next chapter. Meanwhile, why not place a last bet?)


	16. Isaac Vs Kairi

**__**

Thir13en Ghosts

**__**

By Charles Xavier

…

****

Chapter Fifteen: Isaac Vs. Kairi

…

"Heh, heh, heh!"

Isaac's energy was growing, and Kairi was unsure of what to do. She was without a weapon, and her bare fists were unlikely to thwart the boy. This gave Isaac his first chance to swing his scythe across her. In immediate reaction, Kairi ducked while the scythe only succeeded in cutting through corncobs. Without bobbing her head up to make herself an easy target, she scurried across the field, hoping to get away as far as possible.

She didn't know, however, there were other figures standing about in the field. And she never expected to encounter anybody made out of straws. "AAAAAA!" Accidentally running into a distorted looking scarecrow, Kairi half-screamed before covering her mouth. The scarecrow was fortunately not alive, which brought her a sigh of relief. But what made her jump out of her skin was when she felt Isaac's warm breath behind her neck. Quickly turning round, she saw him take another swing with his scythe. This time, she dived sideways, avoiding his attack a second time. The scarecrow was sliced in half in her place, and Kairi now chose to crawl on her knees.

Trying to remain calm was difficult, but one panicky move was liable to get her closer to sudden death. Ignoring the mud that she was gathering from her hands and legs, Kairi kept her breathing to the lowest volume as she tried to find a way out. Keeping to a straight path, luck found its way when she discovered a wooden barn a short distance away. Rolling out from the fields, she shot up and sprinted towards the abandoned shelter.

Pushing the heavy door open, Kairi slipped inside and pushed the door back behind her, blocking it with a large log of wood. Inside was nothing but unused hay and a lit lantern hanging as a sole source of light. With the wind outside, the lantern was swaying back and forth, and the wooden structure of the barn creaked. It felt like this place would collapse if it was unable to withstand this weather condition much longer.

She prayed that she would be safe from Isaac's harm for the time being. But that time arrived sooner for her, and his delicate and innocent voice called out her name.

"Princess Kairi…where are you hiding?"

The crunching of his heavy footsteps in the cornfields could be heard, and they were growing louder. A pair of black shoes were sighted underneath the gap of the entrance, and the footsteps ceased. The door nudged once, then twice, and was then followed by a blissful laughter.

"You're quite the typical one, aren't you? Always sneaking away." Isaac mocked. "I see you want to play cat and mouse."

Kairi held back another scream when Isaac's scythe tore through the door. Quickly, she dashed into a small closet in the corner. Being careful not to knock any of the storage equipment inside, she watched through a small hole as Isaac cut his way through the door, lifting away the log and stepping inside with a gleeful smile across his face.

Sweat trickled down Kairi's cheeks. Her hands tried to grab onto darkened objects inside this claustrophobic atmosphere. From her left she felt the shape of a sharp sickle touch her fingers. She grabbed it and pocketed it for later use, because from her right she felt the long shaft of a farmer's pitchfork. Taking the weapon in her trembling hands, she peered outside and saw Isaac nearing her. He crept towards the closet, reaching his hand for the loose knob. Kairi tightened her weapon, ready to make her move.

Isaac stopped. He heard something rattle behind him, and went away to investigate it. Watching him walk away from her sight, Kairi loosened her grip and sighed, thanking whatever good force had driven her enemy away for a little longer. Now, if only she could find a way to outsmart him…

Suddenly, light rushed into the closet when the door flung open and Isaac offered a warm greeting to her. Surprised, Kairi sprung out and shoved her pitchfork straight into Isaac's stomach. Isaac jerked back from the impact, but felt no pain whatsoever. Kairi had wished she had inflicted more damage to him, but the boy wasn't taken down by a mere stabbing in the guts. Isaac smiled again at her, taking the pitchfork and pulling it out with ease. Though traces of blood gushed out from his shirt, it showed no sign of him weakening.

"You'll have to do better than that."

Isaac swung again, plunging his scythe into the wall when he missed. Kairi felt the blade of the weapon sweep across her hair when she dived under. She took her shot and kicked him in the kneecap, taking him off guard momentarily. Not long enough though, Isaac kicked his shoe into her face, knocking her back. He pulled out the scythe and aimed to cut her into two from her fallen position. Kairi rolled over as he struck, and threw a handful of hay into his face when she rose.

Isaac spat and wiped off the dirt form his face. And with the blink of an eye, he saw her whipping out a long silver sickle at him. Kairi took full force when she swung across his eyes, tearing his sight severely. "AAAA!" A splutter of blood dropped to the ground, and Isaac grasped his face with one hand. Still holding the scythe in a fit of rage, he swiped it fiercely, managing to shred a deep wound within Kairi's right leg.

The girl tumbled back, sensing the agonizing sting seep into her limb. Isaac blindly sensed her movements, and continued to swing his weapon aimlessly yet closer to her. Kairi, afraid to be hacked, frantically shuffled back until she slammed straight into the wall. Lifting up her bloodstained leg, she stood and watched Isaac nearing the lantern inches away.

With one mighty swing, he cut the rope holding the lantern, making it shatter.

A fire began to spread rapidly, and in seconds the barn was fully torched and engulfed in flames. The roof was likely to fall any minute. Smoke surfaced and Kairi could smell it distinctly; it made her cough. That gave away her tracks for Isaac, and he didn't pause to approach her. Aware that she couldn't run due to her leg injury, Kairi limped around him, heading desperately for the broken door. But she was grabbed by the arm when Isaac caught her. He yanked her back despite her efforts to shake out from his grasp, drawing her away from her exit.

The roof cracked then, and everything from above crashed down. Isaac was struck by something hard and was buried beneath heaps of fiery wood, leaving Kairi mostly untouched. Seeing that there was still an opportunity to escape, she made her way out of the entrance and fled from the barn, leaving it to demolish itself. She went far into the cornfields once again, finding a safe spot to settle down, and calm herself from this chaotic situation.

…

"Poor boy." Was all what Kairi had to say about Isaac. What in God's name was eating inside the child's fragile brain to make him lead a bizarre cult involving murdering one's parents? The idea of it was sickening, not to mention disturbing. She was thankful that she never grew up into this society in the first place, otherwise goodness knows what would happen…

Footsteps…Kairi felt the ground shake and glanced out to the field to see whatever was coming her way. To her utter distress, she discovered Isaac; his shirt ripped apart, his hair revealing its white streaks, and his eyes seething, hungry for the heart of the princess. He was without a weapon, but he marched like a cyborg unwilling to fail its mission.

__

"Time to die, Princess."

"NO!" Kairi held her sickle and threatened Isaac with multiple swipes as he came closer. Unimpressed by her pathetic defense, Isaac found the right second for an open attack, and clutched his hand right onto her neck. Kairi croaked as she felt her feet lift off from the ground, with her enemy snarling at her like a untamed beast. Unable to take another breath, victory seemed confident for Isaac. Just one crush from his hand would mean death for her. But her hand was still holding something…she took her sickle for the last time, and slashed Isaac's throat.

"ACK!"

She was dropped, and Isaac was left gasping for air with his hands wrapped around his neck. He staggered away while he started to grow pale, losing his energy fast. The spirit possessing him departed from his body through his gaping mouth and disappeared into the clear moonlit sky. Now powerless, Isaac deteriorated as his flesh rotted and his skin detached. And eventually, Kairi was presented with his skeleton breaking apart, disintegrating into millions of molecular pieces blown away and lost forever.

…

The wind stopped blowing, the fields stopped rustling, and the laughter of children could be heard no more. Kairi was alone, but she couldn't help smile for once…it was clear that she had ultimately won the battle. Dropping her sickle, she reached her fingers for her pendant. She opened it, gazing into the face of a woman that held deeply to her heart. She whispered:

"Thank you, Grandmother."

Now exhausted and beat…she shut her eyes and fainted, hoping to drift her mind away elsewhere to forget these events…

…

"It seems that you have lost again."

"Indeed…I must admit that your granddaughter is quite the player. I had never expected her to beat me at my own game."

"So she has. And so will you keep to your promise to release her, including all her friends."

"And what about those who perished?"

"They will obviously be brought back…as always."

"Fine…they shall all be returned safely to their rightful homes, unconscious of what has passed this night. They shall recall nothing of these events, but know that I never forget a face when I see one. And when the time comes for the twelve and myself to rise again, we shall fight once more."

"And we'll always be ready for you…what about your friend, Isaac?"

"Isaac means nothing to me now. He may have passed on, but there shall always be other followers like him."

"Only time will tell."

"You don't suppose you think this game will last forever?"

"If it is…then I'm willing to take that chance. But for now, it has come to an end."

…

Author's Note: I've not much to say except that the fights are officially over. Only the last chapter to go.


	17. All's Well That Ends Well

_**Thir13en Ghosts**_

_**By Charles Xavier**_

…

**Epilogue: All's Well That Ends Well**

…

"Happy birthday to Kairi! Happy birthday to you!"

Inside a wooden seaside shack, a singing trio sang as they presented a large chocolate cake upon a very special girl.

"WAHOOO!" Wakka applauded wildly, while Tidus set the cake down onto a small crate.

"Happy birthday, Kairi!" Selphie wrapped her arm round Kairi's neck and gave her a big warm hug. "You're now fifteen years old! What do you have to say for all your die-hard fans here right now?"

"Huh…what?" Kairi didn't know what to say. Not because she felt gloomy, but because she had a disturbing tingle that she had been through this phase before. "Selphie…Tidus…Wakka? What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, excuse me! But isn't tonight YOUR night?" Tidus cleared his throat. "It's your birthday, remember?"

"That's right!" Said Wakka. "And we all made this cake especially for you!"

"But…how…when…?" Kairi stuttered to her friends. "Weren't you guys trying to save me…before…?"

"WHAT?" They all burst out.

Afraid to predict the future ahead, Kairi rushed out of the cabin and hurried to the beach, searching through every shadow for the ghostly stranger that once visited her. How doomed she would feel if she ever set her eyes on that monstrous looking soul. The fear of repeating what had been done before was shaking her bones, and she was unwilling to suffer through it all over again.

However, several minutes passed, and when there seemed to be no sign of Pinhead anywhere, she safely returned to the cabin…

"Kairi, where have you been? Are you feeling all right?" Selphie asked her.

"Don't you remember? This ghost with pins all over his head…he took me away from here and brought me…um…to this horrible place where I…well…can't explain."

Her friends looked at each other confused for a long while, wondering what in blazes was eating inside this poor girl's head. Then, smiles crossed their faces and soon none of them were able to take it anymore. They inevitably exploded into shear laughter.

"BWA! HA! HA! HA! HAAA!" Tidus couldn't stop himself. "Whoa! What an act you pulled there! That's quite some imagination you got, Kairi! You had us all worried skinless!"

Selphie giggled at her. "Kairi, have you been drinking too much sea water again?"

"No, I…"

"Of course she didn't!" Wakka patted her on the shoulder. "She was just playing an old trick on us, weren't you?"

"I…I…"

Something attracted her hands to her pendant. Touching it, a sensational feeling ran through her fingers, reassuring her that nothing wrong was going to come ruin her birthday night, and that everything was going to be fine. There was no need to be worried tonight, and a soft voice whispered to her, telling that her she should for once enjoy this moment together with her companions.

"Sure." Kairi's terrified frown turned upside down, and she let out a giant grin at Wakka. "Hee! Hee! I seriously got you guys, there!"

"Then come on, Kairi! Take a deep breath and fire away!" Tidus said, holding the massive cake with the others.

Kairi took a deep breath and everyone awaited her biggest moment. With every single space in her lungs packed with air, she blew it out with mighty force, putting all the candles out in one go.

"HOOORAY!"

A grand applause followed…and indeed, Kairi felt so glad to have cast aside the painful times of concern she had forced herself into these previous months. This was a night she wouldn't most certainly forget. Though she wondered if she'd ever have the heart to tell everyone what she wished for…

"So what did you wish for, Kairi?" Wakka asked. "Share with us, come on!"

"Sora…Riku…" She murmured. "I'll always be waiting here for you."

…

_**The End**_

…

Author's Note: Just a couple of things to say before I go. I originally wrote a much darker ending, but in the end I decided to go for a happy one since I wanted this story to end peacefully. So the alternate ending's been scrapped I'm afraid (gomen ne). I also had a couple of fights which I never got round to:

Auron Vs. Candyman

Reverend Kane Vs. Yuna

A shame they ended up being plugged out. But nonetheless, I hope you readers have enjoyed this story. I'd like to thank all my fellow reviewers and e-mailers for your comments, and I hope to see you guys in any future fanfics I write. Arigatou, and ja ne! (hugs)


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